Dear Friend of the First Amendment,
Democracy is at risk around the world and here at home.
According to a recent study by Economist Intelligence, the state of democracy globally fell to a record low last year. The United States, plagued by diminished public trust in political parties and government institutions, ranked just 26th in last year’s Democracy Index.
Despite the study’s reference to a recent “tarnishing of America’s democratic credentials,” the First Amendment remains a pillar of freedom and government accountability. NEFAC is working overtime to keep it that way.
As we emerge from a pandemic that once prompted the suspension of public record and open meeting laws, much of NEFAC’s impact during the last couple years has been focused on government transparency and protecting the public’s right to know.
Early in the pandemic we battled against government secrecy and fought for better access to public officials. We sponsored a media hotline for journalists experiencing access challenges. We demanded more public health data and provided best practices for online government meetings.
Although we are now moving closer to normalcy, open government concerns persist:
- States are considering policies that would eliminate online meeting access, one of the few silver linings of the pandemic.
- Public agencies are routinely engaged in secret business deals.
- Police departments are refusing to release citizen complaints against officers despite their obligations to do so under their state’s public records law.
- Legislative efforts attempt to shroud in secrecy the allocation of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
- Courts are closing proceedings and sealing records to the detriment of the citizens they serve.
To help combat secrecy, we are:
We cannot be complacent. The First Amendment, open government and our democracy are only as strong as our will to defend them. Please continue to support our much-needed work by making a donation today.
