State police are refusing to release information about an officer whose false testimony caused a woman to be imprisoned for nearly two weeks and subjected to multiple body cavity searches.
“Transparency and accountability lead to trust between the citizenry and the government,” wrote NEFAC and the Union Leader Corp. in an amicus brief filed in ACLU of New Hampshire v. N.H. Dept. of Safety, Div. Of State Police. “The need for such trust is critical when the governmental actors are authorized to effectuate arrests and to use force when necessary.” [...]
NEFAC's Justin Silverman recently spoke to Western Mass News about exemptions to the public records law.
“What we’re seeing is that these exemptions can be overused,” he said. “They can be used as a way to shield the public’s view of what’s going on in government.” [...]
The New England First Amendment Coalition recently joined more than 40 media organizations to argue that a subpoena requiring a Boston Globe reporter to testify in a federal criminal case would have a chilling effect on newsgathering.
“Compelling reporters to testify about their communications with sources — even on-the-record, nonconfidential conversations — harms the newsgathering and reporting process, to the ultimate detriment of the public,” explained the groups. [...]
NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman recently visited the University of Massachusetts Amherst to speak with journalism students about current First Amendment issues and the public's right to know about their government. [...]
The coalition will present to a delegation of Iraqi public officials next month as part of a U.S. Department of State-funded civics program. The State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program supports short-term visits to the United States for foreign leaders to learn about a variety of topics, including the First Amendment. WorldBoston, a local non-profit organization, coordinates the IVLP presentations and educational programming. [...]
With renewed scrutiny of law enforcement agencies across the country, NEFAC is updating its FOI Guide to include legal primers on police misconduct records. Reports for Maine and Vermont are now available. We discuss how state public record laws address these documents and under what circumstances you can obtain them.
Knowing where an elected official lives can help the public better understand what factors may influence an official’s decision-making or frame their priorities, these experts argue. Not being transparent about even that small of a detail also can “speak to one’s credibility,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition.
“We should expect full transparency from our governor,” Silverman said. “When someone in elected office tells us that they’re living in a particular city, we deserve to know if that’s true or not.” [...]
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