This month marks the beginning of our end-of-year fundraiser. It is a crucial time for NEFAC. We look to friends of the First Amendment — friends like you! — to provide the financial support we need to continue our many valuable programs.

Over the next several weeks we'll be highlighting the work we do so you can better understand the impact we're making in the region and why the New England First Amendment Coalition is deserving of your support.

Here's what you may have missed:

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT:
LEGAL ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC TRAINING
NEFAC is a valuable legal resource helping all New Englanders both outside and inside the courtroom.

We take calls regularly from journalists and citizen watchdogs. We help communities navigate open meeting and public record laws. And we find pro bono legal counsel for those in need.

Since January 2018 we have filed or joined 17 amicus briefs. These briefs allow us to defend the First Amendment and freedom of information laws in courts throughout the country.
We recently argued for free access to public records, the protection of the "fair report" privilege" and the right to record government officials, among many other issues that affect us and our communities.

During the same time, we sent dozens of advocacy letters and policy statements.

This year alone, we condemned a bill that would make certain criminal evidence secret. We demanded recourse for a reporter who was arrested while doing her job. We questioned the wisdom in media registration policies and we protested a bill that would exempt body camera footage from a public records law.
NEFAC is also sharing these legal arguments with citizens throughout the region through workshops and clinics.

We're providing legal training to citizens so they can better defend their own freedoms and demand more transparency from their government.

We're helping students beat back censorship and call out any administrator that threatens their First Amendment rights.

As Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post said during one of our annual award luncheons, "Just as the First Amendment protects us, we must return the framers' great favor and protect it."

With your help, we can do just that.
Thank you for supporting the First Amendment and defending the public's right to know about government!
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