New England First Amendment Coalition
September 2020
Hosted by the New England First Amendment Coalition, the Institute provides tuition-free training in freedom of information law and investigative reporting techniques for a select group of working New England journalists. The faculty features some of the country’s elite reporters, editors and media attorneys. The week-long Institute began online on Sept. 26. [Learn More] [Follow on Twitter]

NEFAI 2020 News

Brad Petrishen of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette discusses the newspaper’s ongoing efforts to obtain Internal Affairs reports and other law enforcement records from the city’s police department.


Additional Coverage

Jessie Rossman at the ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts explains the issues in a recent lawsuit against the Boston Police Department for records about use of force incidents and surveillance of citizens.

Derek Brouwer at Seven Days describes an incident at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans and the challenges of reporting on School Resource Officers (SROs) in Vermont.

Learn more about how NEFAC is helping to increase law enforcement transparency here.
The New England First Amendment Coalition and the Student Press Law Center are calling on public school administrators across the region to protect the speech and press rights of students as they return to class this fall.

The two groups are partnering to offer students a variety of resources that can be used to protect themselves from infringements of their First Amendment rights. They include a legal hotline; access to attorneys in the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and resources specifically for student journalists. [...]
GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE

A conversation with Gabe Rottman at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press about Alasaad v. Wolf, a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

The case involves 10 U.S. citizens and one lawful permanent resident who were subjected to searches of their electronic devices. [Watch Video] [Read Amicus Brief]
Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, recently led a discussion on the challenges facing open government during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The presentation was part of the 2020 National Freedom of Information FOI Summit. [...]
“Telephonic access during COVID-19 has convincingly demonstrated the public’s appetite to observe the operations of the Court and has shown that the Court can balance increased access with the integrity of its proceedings," the groups wrote on Sept. 16. "Accordingly, continued live audio for oral arguments and the addition of live audio for opinion announcements will each promote transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the judicial system." [...]
Learn more about how NEFAC is helping during the COVID-19 pandemic here.
NEFAC COMMENTARY
Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said there aren’t many examples of the information being used nefariously — for identity fraud or other scams — but that the voter databases in states across the country have been used for good on numerous occasions.

“Ultimately these voter rolls should be public and we should have access to them because they provide a way for us to make sure that these records are being maintained properly and that they’re accurate from year to year,” Silverman said. “That type of transparency allows citizens to go into the rolls to make sure that those who are registered didn’t pass away or live where they say they live.” [...]
New England First Amendment Coalition Executive Director Justin Silverman said that while MANG’s activation may worry protesters, the major issue will be how the National Guard conducts itself.

“Will they be largely out of sight and only called in if there is violence or destruction of property that warrants their presence?” Silverman said. “These are the questions that I would look to.”

Intimidation and the possible use of force could threaten protesters’ First Amendment rights, Silverman said.

“[Protesters] need to stay safe and really need to take into account that, anytime you have a law enforcement presence,” Silverman said, “that there is at least the potential for protesters to get hurt or to have their rights violated in some way.” [...]
MORE FOI & FIRST AMENDMENT NEWS


Regional / National

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Connecticut

Police Transparency


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Maine

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Massachusetts

Police Transparency


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New Hampshire

Police Transparency


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Rhode Island




Vermont

Police Transparency


Public Records, Juvenile Privacy


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