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January updateWelcome to the Thomson Reuters Foundation's monthly newsletter! New global study maps evolving legal needs across civil society, and where legal support is needed most

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are navigating one of the most challenging environments in recent decades, from funding cuts to increasing regulatory and political pressure.

Through TrustLaw [[link removed]], our global pro bono service, we surveyed over 140 CSO members from our network to understand how their legal needs had changed over the last 12 months. Most respondents were small, grassroots organisations with fewer than 50 staff.

Our data-led learnings are presented in our second annual TRF Insight report: Rising pressure, rising needs. [[link removed]]

What the data shows

We found that 50% of respondents globally reported increasing legal needs in the last year alone. We also found that critical legal needs differed by geography:

In Africa, Asia and Latin America, priorities were linked to increased scrutiny and political pressure.In Europe and North America, organisations were more focused on "compliance-adjacent" areas, such as data protection and employment.What this means

Demand for pro bono is both growing and diversifying - spanning traditional areas like contracts and employment law to complex, fast-moving domains like data protection, AI regulation, and “foreign agent” frameworks.

For CSOs: This report provides actionable insights about trending legal needs to help inform capacity planning and risk awareness.For law firms: This report demonstrates the critical importance of pro bono legal support and the measurable impact it has on organisational survival and resilience.

Download the full report [[link removed]] to explore our complete findings and recommendations.

For civil society organisations seeking legal support, join our TrustLaw network [[link removed]] to get connected with legal experts.

Read the full report [[link removed]]

This month's essential insights

Strengthening Independent Media

Responsible use of AI is essential to journalism's ongoing commitment to accuracy, fairness, transparency, and accountability. When thoughtfully integrated, AI tools can amplify newsroom capabilities while preserving the human judgement that defines quality journalism.

Our recent four-month programme working with four South African newsrooms demonstrated how establishing robust editorial policies and guardrails enabled journalists to leverage AI's potential while minimising risk [[link removed]].

In case you missed it, our practical starter guide, Three steps to an AI-ready newsroom [[link removed]], is designed to help more newsrooms identify ethical risks in their AI applications and take action to mitigate them.

Read the guide [[link removed]] Enabling Access to the Law

Young people across Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Kyrgyzstan face legal barriers to accessing critical healthcare services, which can lead to unnecessary and preventable harm.

Our Barriers to Young People's Access to Healthcare report [[link removed]] provides an accessible and comprehensive legal analysis comparing national laws against international human rights standards, which can be used for evidence-based advocacy campaigns to protect and promote young people's health.

Download the report [[link removed]] Promoting Responsible Business

AI is transforming Africa's economy and society, with it predicted to contribute up to $100bn in annual economic value [[link removed]].

In response to the continent's emerging regulatory landscape, our AI Governance for Africa toolkit [[link removed]] analyses the state of AI governance in Africa and across the globe.

The toolkit also explores how data protection laws currently regulate AI and provides actionable exercises to help advocates in campaigning for rights-based AI policies.

View the toolkit [[link removed]] This month we recommend 📝Complete our survey:

Are you a journalist, editor, or press freedom advocate in South Africa? We need your voice. By sparing a few minutes to share your experiences, you can help protect yourself and future generations of journalists from malicious legal threats.

Your responses will shape a report that aims to inform civil society organisations fighting for press freedom and give policymakers the evidence they need to protect journalists and strengthen the profession.

Take 2 minutes now to contribute your experience [[link removed]].

✍️Apply:

For Journalists

Journalist Fellowship at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism [[link removed]] | Deadline Friday 13th February, 23:59 GMT Reporting on Business and Human Rights [[link removed]] | Deadline Sunday 15th February at 18:00 GMT Apply for Malaysia [[link removed]] Apply for Thailand [[link removed]] Global AI Accelerator for Media [[link removed]] | International Press Institute | Deadline Wednesday 4th February, 21:59 GMT

For Civil Society Organisations

Business and Human Rights Advocacy Training [[link removed]] | Deadline Sunday 15th February at 18:00 GMT Apply for Malaysia [[link removed]] Apply for Thailand [[link removed]]

📖 Read:

2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Report [[link removed]] | Edelman Reporter’s guide to detecting AI-generated content [[link removed]] | Global Investigative Journalism Network The old aid model is dead. Now comes the fight over what replaces it [[link removed]] | Devex Rich countries’ greater use of AI risks deepening inequality, Anthropic warns [[link removed]] | Financial Times

We are the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global content and technology company. We leverage our media, legal and data-driven expertise to strengthen independent journalism [[link removed]], enable access to the law [[link removed]] and promote responsible business [[link removed]].

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