New England First Amendment Coalition

August 2025

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We Want to Hear From You!

As a member of the NEFAC Community, you are in the company of journalists, academics and other fans of the First Amendment and open government. We look forward to seeing you at our events and hearing from you about our programs.

Fellowship Applications Due Aug. 29

Apply Now to Become a 2025 Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute Fellow

The New England First Amendment Coalition will host its 15th annual investigative journalism institute from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26 at Boston University’s College of Communication.

Named after the late trail-blazing Boston Globe journalist, the Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute (formerly the New England First Amendment Institute) is an intensive training program on freedom of information law and investigative reporting techniques.

The Institute is offered each year tuition-free and exclusively to 25 working New England journalists. More than 350 journalists from 100 local news organizations have benefited from the program since it began in 2011.

▶ View Application Materials — Due Aug. 29

▶ Learn More About the Negri Institute

30 Minute Skills - Register Now

Now Available to View

Using Signal to Protect Documents and Sources

Instructors: Davis Erin Anderson and Abigail Lis-Perlis | Freedom of the Press Foundation

With the need for privacy and secure communications increasing, more journalists are turning to the Signal app while newsgathering. The app uses end-to-end encryption for its services that prevents third-parties from viewing the content shared.

View this lesson on how to use the app to protect sources, documents and other materials. You'll also learn:

• The difference between encrypted and unencrypted communications.

• The advantages of Signal over other communication services.

• How to set your Signal settings for optimal security.

▶ All Previous Lessons

▶ Aug. 19 | Immigration Reporting 101

▶ Sept. 29 | Start a Non-Profit Newsroom

▶ Oct. 20 | How to Start Your Own Podcast

▶ Nov. 6 | How to Network and Find Your Next Great Opportunity

Open Government

Beyond Public Records Law: Getting the Documents You Need

You made a public records request and were denied. You appealed the denial and again were told that the records you need are off limits. Meanwhile, your deadline is looming and a story needs to be written. What can you do when your state's public records law doesn't work in your favor and you find yourself out of options? Learn how local journalists got the records they needed when all else failed.

Now Available to View

Maine | Sawyer Loftus, Bangor Daily News

New Hampshire | Annmarie Timmins, NHPR

▶ Aug. 21 | Connecticut

▶ Aug. 27 | Massachusetts

▶ Sept. 4 | Rhode Island

▶ Sept. 11 | Vermont

Nominations Due Sept. 5

NEFAC Seeking Nominations for Citizenship and Freedom of Information Awards

NEFAC is seeking nominations for its 2025 Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award and Michael Donoghue Freedom of Information Award. The awards will be presented at NEFAC’s 15th annual New England First Amendment Awards on October 24.

The Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award is given to an individual from one of the six New England states who has fought for information crucial to the public’s understanding of its community or what its government is doing — or not doing — on its behalf. The candidate should have shown tenacity or bravery in the face of difficulty while obtaining information that the public has a right to know.

The FOI Award is given each year to a New England journalist or team of journalists for a body of work from the previous calendar year that protects or advances the public’s right to know under federal or state law. Preference is given to those who overcome significant official resistance.

▶ Nomination Form for Citizenship Award

▶ Nomination Form for Freedom of Information Award

▶ Learn More About Previous Award Recipients