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.”


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.


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.


Select Group of Rhode Island, Massachusetts Journalism Students to Attend NEFAC’s Negri Institute | With the support of the Rhode Island Foundation and the Estate of Gloria L. Negri, the coalition is accepting this year a group of student journalists to attend along with 25 professional reporters, editors and producers from newsrooms throughout New England. The students were all nominated by faculty members at their respective schools.


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.


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.”


Audio Reporting 101 | Newsrooms are investing in audio to reach new audiences and journalists are looking for ways to sharpen their audio reporting skills. But for many reporters, the question remains: where to start? By viewing this lesson, you’ll learn (1) strategies for identifying effective sources of audio and how to listen in new ways for sound (2) how to begin recording sound for your stories and (3) how to incorporate audio recordings into your reporting.


NEFAC Asks Mass. Attorney General to Amend Regulations, Require Release of RMV Records | The Work Family Mobility Act “never intended to burden journalists and other members of the public with such secrecy,” NEFAC wrote. “We are hopeful the regulations can be amended to make clear to the RMV that records previously public should continue to be released — especially as many of the rejected requests have no relation to the immigration status of Massachusetts residents.”


N.H. Supreme Court Dismisses Case That Would Stifle Political Speech; NEFAC, Submitted Amicus Brief Arguing for First Amendment Protections | “This is a free speech win,” said NEFAC’s Justin Silverman. “Our democracy depends on robust and often provocative political speech about matters of public concern. Today’s ruling gives us breathing room to share those opinions without fear of being dragged to court simply because someone disagrees with what we say.”


Election Coverage 101 | Local journalists need to look beyond conventional reporting to inform audiences about the consequence of their votes. By viewing this lesson, you’ll learn (1) how to approach voters and find relevant, timely sources for your stories (2) how to identify new election-related stories and report on under-served communities and (3) how to localize stories about national elections and keep election coverage relevant to your audience.


NEFAC Meets with Vt. Judiciary Officials to Address Challenges to Online Record Access | The meeting focused on recommendations outlined by the coalition last year, which included instituting a “public is public” model whereby any record publicly available at a courthouse is made publicly available online; improving public access through the computer terminals at courthouses; and posting all non-exempt court records online immediately upon filing.


Connecticut Open Meetings and Remote Access | Attorney Alexa Millinger, a partner in the Litigation Group at Hinckley Allen, discusses new open meeting law requirements with NEFAC’s Emily Sweeney. Millinger explains how the law has changed during the last several years and what is required of public bodies when meeting remotely. Learn more about open meetings in Connecticut here and subscribe to our Community newsletter to stay informed of all upcoming events.


Vermont Open Meetings and Remote Access | NEFAC’s Harrison Stark, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Vermont, discusses the evolution of open meetings since COVID and explains how a new law is providing increased access to the public. This presentation is part of a growing library of freedom of information tutorials that can be found in our FOI Guide. Click here to learn more about open meetings, public records and access to courts in Vermont.


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