The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce Sewell Chan, editor in chief of The Texas Tribune, as the opening speaker for its 12th annual New England First Amendment Institute.
Journalists from a variety of media and all six New England states will attend the Institute at Northeastern University in Boston from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25 to learn the latest investigative and database reporting techniques and public records access skills. [...]
Journalist and NEFAC Board of Directors member Tim White testified at an Aug. 3 hearing on behalf of the coalition and emphasized the need for better public access to body camera footage. NEFAC reiterated the point and provided a more detailed response to the draft policy in an Aug. 16 letter.
“The use of body-worn cameras can be a benefit to both police officers and the citizens they encounter,” wrote NEFAC. “The transparency they provide can build trust within communities — but there needs to be strong safeguards in place for citizen accessibility and the constitutional rights we all enjoy.” [...]
The New England First Amendment Coalition recently expressed concern about actions taken by the Isle La Motte Select Board that violated both the Vermont Open Meeting Law and firmly-established First Amendment press protections.
The Select Board met on August 1 to address recent vandalism to LGBTQ pride flags. During the meeting, Select Board member Mary Catherine Graziano ordered the press to refrain from publishing the names of those who spoke at the hearing and indicated that the identity of those speakers would not be included in the meeting minutes. [...]
NEFAC’s Justin Silverman speaks to Rachel Mann at WCAX about a directive given to the press by a town Select Board member and the open government and First Amendment implications. [...]
The first step in database analysis is learning how spreadsheets function and how data can be used to share compelling stories. This is the second of two introductory classes on Microsoft Excel. By viewing this class, you will learn:
How to create pivot tables from large datasets.
How to use pivot tables to generate findings for your stories.
Other basic functions of Excel that can be used to begin database analysis.
The New England First Amendment Coalition recently published a resource page on its website to increase public awareness of secret clerk-magistrate hearings in Massachusetts.
Clerk-magistrate hearings — also called “show cause” hearings” — began in 1943 and were intended as a way to resolve minor criminal matters without a public trial and publicity.
But the secrecy, as detailed in a 2018 investigation by The Boston Globe, has allowed powerful and wealthy individuals to evade accountability for not just misdemeanors but also felonies and other serious crimes. [...]
NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman spoke to NBC10 Boston about a Pembroke, Mass., police officer who caused a serious car crash just to have the case quietly dismissed behind closed doors. [...]
The New England First Amendment Coalition earlier this month asked Massachusetts legislators to ensure funding in the state budget for municipalities in need of remote meeting technology.
Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed $30 million in the general government infrastructure bond bill (H.5065) earlier this month that would support remote and hybrid access to public meetings in cities and towns throughout the state. [...]
The New England First Amendment Coalition continued its series on freedom of information laws with new classes on state open meeting statutes.
The classes feature local attorneys who provide an overview of their respective state’s open meeting law and answer questions from those who attend.
This latest round of classes is provided by NEFAC with support from the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation, SPJ New England, the Rhode Island Foundation, MuckRock and the New England Society of News Editors. [...]
That lack of transparency was “not surprising at all, but no less disappointing,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. “Anytime a Legislature shuts out the public from its process, we’re all left wondering how and why it made the decisions it did,” Silverman added. [...]
NEFAC appreciates the support of all its donors and volunteers. In particular, we would like to thank the following Leadership Circle donors ($10,000+) and Major Supporters ($2,500-$9,999) for their contributions:
