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The New England First Amendment Coalition is the region’s leading advocate for First Amendment freedoms and government transparency — the foundation of a healthy democracy.
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NEFAC President Gregory V. Sullivan shares why First Amendment education is critical for those in New England, across the country and abroad.

COMMENTARY

Mass. State Police Want More Than $176k to Review Public Records Request

“These are our tax dollars that are being spent on the state police training program. And we have a right to know whether or not that program is operating safely or whether it’s just teeing up another tragedy to occur somewhere down the road,” NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman said. “They should be working on behalf of the public to come up with a way to be more transparent.”

Treasurer Goldberg Ordered Deletion of Series of Texts, Ex-Mass. Lottery Official Says

“It concerns me,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. “Bottom line, text messages are subject to the public records law, and there are certain retention policies that govern when they can and cannot be deleted. . . . These are not the types of text messages that you fire off quickly, saying you’ll be in the office in five minutes, or ‘I’m running a little late today’.”

Half the Story

Experts questioned why, upon realizing the MPTC didn’t have the information they wanted as electronic data, POST didn’t create this database itself. “It doesn’t make any sense that the previous employment of these officers wouldn’t be tracked and recorded if the ultimate goal was to prevent police misconduct from occurring,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. “We’re only getting half the story without this information.”

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ADVOCACY

NEFAC: Access to Massachusetts Courts Limited By Inoperable, Overused Public Terminals

“Due to a combination of out-of-service kiosks and individuals using kiosks for an unreasonable amount of time, public access can frequently be denied. This is a major concern given that many court records, such as documents in criminal cases, cannot be thoroughly researched remotely but must instead be searched for through these kiosks.”

NEFAC, Rhode Island Partners Offer Guidance on Plans to Upgrade Online Court Records System

The state plans to make court records accessible online to all members of the public next spring using the platform re:Search by Tyler Technologies. “Members of the public and organizations like ours can share important guidance on how the new system could be successfully launched and done so in a way that maximizes transparency,” NEFAC and its partners wrote.

NEFAC, R.I. Open Government Groups Renew Call for Changes to Police Body Camera Policies

“By providing the means for greater transparency and accountability in police work, the implementation of police body-worn cameras (BWC) serves as an important oversight tool for both law enforcement and the public,” wrote the groups to the Department of Public Safety. “However, BWCs can only accomplish this goal if the policies and regulations governing them enshrine that role.”

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COMMUNITY

Nov. 13 | First Amendment and the Free Press | Northeastern University

Nov. 14 | 30 Minute Skills | Copyright Law 102 | Register

Nov. 19 | First Amendment and the Free Press | University of Massachusetts – Amherst

Dec. 9 | 30 Minute Skills | Freelance Photography | Register


NEFAC Meets with Egyptian Delegation to Discuss First Amendment

The New England First Amendment Coalition recently continued its international outreach with a constitutional lesson for Egyptian journalists, content creators and entertainment professionals. NEFAC President Gregory V. Sullivan met with the delegation on Nov. 7. The coalition has led 10 programs through WorldBoston, focusing on topics such as open government, free speech, misinformation and the growth of non-profit newsrooms.

Copyright Law 101

Questions of ownership, fair use and other intellectual property concerns are especially relevant to newsgathering as more information is found through social media and other online sources. This is the first of two classes introducing copyright law. By viewing this lesson, you’ll learn (1) how to identify a creative work that may be protected (2) when permission is likely needed to reproduce that work and (3) good practices to avoid infringement claims, generally.

Negri First Amendment Institute Keynote Speakers and Faculty Announced

NEFAC will host 33 journalism fellows — 25 professionals and eight students — at the Institute which consists of local workshops, remote programming and three-days of in-person instruction at Northeastern University beginning Oct. 20. More than 300 journalists from 100 local news organizations have attended the Negri Institute since it began in 2011.

Meet NEFAC’s 2024 Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute Journalism Fellows

Named after the late trail-blazing Boston Globe journalist, the Negri Institute is an annual, multi-day, intensive training program on freedom of information law and investigative reporting techniques. It is offered each year exclusively to 25 New England journalists. The 14th annual Institute — provided at no cost to those who attend — consists of local workshops, online classes and in-person instruction at Northeastern University.

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