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New England First Amendment Coalition

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October 2022

NEFAI 2022 NEFAC Concludes 12th Annual New England First Amendment Institute at Northeastern

Journalists from a variety of media and all six New England states gathered at Northeastern University in Boston this month to learn the latest investigative and database reporting techniques and public records access skills. Keynote speakers included Sewell Chan of The Texas Tribune, Sacha Pfeiffer of NPR and Mark Walker of The New York Times. More than 30 reporters, editors and attorneys taught at the three-day Institute which has provided free training to more than 300 journalists since 2011. [...]

Learn More About NEFAI 2022 Event Page Institute Program Meet This Year's Fellows #NEFAI2022 on Twitter Event Photos

NEW HAMPSHIRE NEFAC to N.H. Supreme Court: First Amendment Protects Right to Criticize Others on Matters of Public Concern

The New England First Amendment Coalition and other advocates filed an amicus brief before the New Hampshire Supreme Court this month arguing in support of the First Amendment right to criticize individuals on matters of public concern.  The plaintiff in the case — Richards v. Azzi and Union Leader Corp. — is attempting to use state defamation law to punish critical comments made about him in a newspaper op/ed. [...]

NOW OPEN TO RHODE ISLAND JOURNALISTS: New Mentorship Program to Help Reporters, Editors in Variety of Areas

RHODE ISLAND NEFAC, Rhode Island Advocates: Police Body Camera Policy Needs More Transparency

The New England First Amendment Coalition and several Rhode Island organizations — collectively known as Access Rhode Island — recently highlighted deficiencies in a new state policy for the use of police-worn body cameras.  The groups wrote in a statement that: “While the policy deployed by the Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General’s office puts in place a structure for these cameras, it remains deficient in strong standards which would provide for timely release of footage relating to incidents that the public should have quick access to, including in situations where there has been serious use of force.” [...] Additional Coverage Rhode Island Rolls Out Statewide Plan for Body-Worn Cameras | The Boston Globe All Police Departments Statewide to Utilize Body-Worn Cameras, Except One | UpriseRI

WORK WITH NEFAC Part-Time Fundraising Associate (Remote)  Spring First Amendment Intern (Remote)

MAINE NEFAC Participates in ‘Future of First Amendment’ Program

The New England First Amendment Coalition participated in a panel discussion about the future of First Amendment freedoms earlier this month. The First Amendment Museum in Augusta hosted the discussion as part of its Osher Lifelong Learning classes. Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director, spoke on behalf of the coalition. He was joined in the discussion by Dmitry Bam, vice dean and provost at the University of Maine School of Law; Stefanie Manning, group vice president for Masthead Maine; Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute; and Jennifer Rooks at Maine Public. [...]

Are you in need of an expert speaker or would like NEFAC to present to your organization? Email justin@nefac.org.

OPEN MEETING LAW

Local Journalists Share How Newsrooms Respond to Executive Session Secrecy

NEFAC is continuing its series on state open meeting laws with new classes on executive sessions. The classes feature local journalists sharing stories of government agencies inappropriately holding executive sessions, secret meetings that are allowed only under certain circumstances. The journalists discuss how they and their colleagues responded to these meetings and continued their reporting. 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.

Recordings and Registration Links

Maine | View Sawyer Loftus Bangor Daily News Conn. | View Len Besthoff NBC Connecticut N.H. | View Jonathan Van Fleet Concord Monitor

Vt. | View Sasha Goldstein Seven Days R.I. | Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. Ethan Shorey The Valley Breeze Mass. | Nov. 9 | 6 p.m. Jill Harmacinski Eagle-Tribune

All previous lessons can be viewed in our new FOI Guide.

VERMONT Does the Vermont Open Meeting Law Need an Update?

“We need to get specific and make sure everyone has clear expectations as to what the government’s obligations are to the public and how the public can best access the government,” NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman recently told WCAX in Burlington.

MORE FOI & FIRST AMENDMENT NEWS Regional / National Justice Department Formalizes Rules Banning Most Subpoenas Against Journalists | CBS News December Argument Session Will Feature Divisive Cases on Election Law, First Amendment | SCOTUSblog Connecticut Avon Paid More Than $10,000 to Keep This Record Secret | Connecticut Public Maine Epoch Times Loses Defamation Lawsuit About ‘Substantially True’ Reporting on Co-Founder’s Jan. 6th Conspiracy Theories | Law & Crime Massachusetts City of Boston, Public Records City Hall Closes Out 200-Plus Public Records Requests, Citing Its Own Lassitude | Media Nation Boston Closed 221 Records Requests By Citing Own Inaction | Boston Herald _________________________________________________ Boston City Council Pushes Off Redistricting Vote in Light of Open-Meeting Law Complaint | Boston Herald South Boston Organizations Seeking More Redistricting Hearings with Open-Meetings Law Complaint | Boston Herald Pittsfield Police Get Ready to Test Body Cams, Begin Developing Policies for Video Record Requests | New England Public Media Framingham Passed an Anti-Begging Law, But Will It Withstand Legal Challenges? | Boston.com Mass. House Committee Votes are Secret. What to Know About a Ballot Question Trying to Change That | WBUR New Hampshire GOP House Candidate Stone’s Record as Ex-Claremont Cop to Be Released | InDepthNH Supreme Court Won't Take Up New Hampshire Remote Meetings Lawsuit | The Center Square Rhode Island Missing: Diossa’s Travel Records for More than 30 Trips and Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Costs | GoLocalProv Barrington School Committee Fined for Open Meetings Violation | East Bay RI Vermont Vermont Education Officials Reached a Settlement Over Religious Schools. A Federal Judge in Burlington Had Concerns | VTDigger Judge Blocks Video Broadcast of Murder Trial | The Times Argus High Court Tosses VTDigger’s Appeal for Records in Dropped Sexual Assault Case Against Ex-St. Albans Cop | VTDigger

Thank You to Our Supporters 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:

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE Rhode Island Foundation Hearst Conn. Media Group The Boston Globe Paul and Ann Sagan The Robertson Foundation MAJOR SUPPORTERS Boston University WBUR-Boston Academy of New England Journalists SPJ Foundation Genie Gannett for the First Amendment Museum Linda Pizzuti Henry Connecticut Public GBH-Boston