The Reporter’s Recording Guide provides a summary of each state’s laws governing the recording of phone calls and in-person conversations and how those laws affect newsgathering. Because many of these laws have criminal penalties and some also permit civil lawsuits, this guide should not take the place of legal advice from a lawyer. Journalists with additional questions or who need to find a lawyer can contact the Reporters Committee’s legal hotline.

We will continue to publish the remaining chapters as we complete them. If you do not see the chapter you are looking for, you can find the 2012 version of the guide here.

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