FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
The New England First Amendment Coalition will present a panel discussion on the First Amendment and freedom of the press on October 20 at the Newbury Town Library, 0 Lunt Street, Byfield, Mass.
The discussion will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will feature several prominent media and legal experts. The program is free and open to the public.
Speakers include:
Peter Caruso, Sr. | A member of NEFAC’s Board of Directors, Caruso is a North Andover-based attorney representing professionals in a vast spectrum of media litigation, including defamation, media and Internet law, newspaper access, news reporting, and copyright law.
Dan Kennedy | Kennedy is a journalism professor at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator for WGBHNews.org and other publications. He is also a regular panelist on Beat the Press, an award-winning weekly media roundtable on WGBH-TV.
Naomi Schalit | A senior editor at The Conversation, Schalit began her career at the San Jose Mercury News, worked as a reporter and producer at Maine Public Radio and edited the opinion pages for two Maine newspapers. She also co-founded the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.
Sheldon Toplitt (moderator) | An Ashland-based attorney and real estate agent, Toplitt previously taught media and social media law, business law and journalism courses at several Boston-area universities. He also worked as an award-winning newspaper reporter and magazine editor.
The event is part of NEFAC’s Featured Speaker Program which launched in January to help increase First Amendment education in high schools, college classrooms and community centers. NEFAC recently presented to students at the University of New Hampshire; high school students in Bridgeport, Conn., and at the annual New England Scholastic Press Association conference at Boston University, among other New England locations and audiences.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
Major Supporters of NEFAC include the Barr Foundation, The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund, The Robertson Foundation, The Boston Globe, WBUR and Boston University.