June 27 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET
Tuscan Kitchen Seaport in Boston | Private Event (Invite Only)
All Proceeds to Benefit Civics and
First Amendment Education in New England
About the New England First Amendment Awards
Transcripts and Audio
Award Nomination Forms (Closed)
• Michael Donoghue Freedom of Information Award
• Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award
New England First Amendment Award Recipients
STEPHEN HAMBLETT FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD
Sarah-Ann Shaw, the late trail-blazing journalist and community advocate, mentored a generation of young reporters and is perhaps best known for her contributions to the public affairs program “Say, Brother” (renamed “Basic Black” in 1998) which debuted on WGBH in 1968. Shaw was also the first Black female reporter hired to a local network news show when she joined WBZ-TV in 1969. During her time with the stations, Shaw covered many issues facing under-represented communities and not otherwise receiving much media attention, such as education and prison reform. She spent 31 years at WBZ, working as a general assignment reporter and anchoring public affairs programs.
MICHAEL DONOGHUE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AWARD
Maine Trust for Local News — which includes publications such as the Sun Journal, Portland Press Herald and Kennebec Journal — fought relentlessly for information about the Oct. 25 mass shooting in Lewiston. The newsrooms began making public record requests just hours after the shooting and spent more than six months fighting denials and other challenges to the public’s right to know about the tragedy. Reporters faced enormous and consistent resistance by Maine State Police who attempted to block access to information about how they responded.
ANTONIA ORFIELD CITIZENSHIP AWARD
As a member of the Police Oversight Commission in Hamden, Conn., Daniel Dunn increased public access to records that documented law enforcement interactions with community members. When Dunn discovered that some of these records were illegally destroyed, he worked to synthesize important information using the remaining records and he successfully appealed a public records case against the town. Dunn’s efforts increased transparency about policing and raised awareness of the challenges using Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act. He plans to begin law school at Quinnipiac University this fall and to continue his open government advocacy.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
New Hampshire Public Radio began reporting in 2022 about allegations of sexual abuse by the founder of the state’s largest addiction treatment center. The reporting was followed by multiple acts of vandalism at the homes of NHPR journalists and the homes of their families. Following investigations by the FBI and state and local authorities, a federal grand jury indicted four men for their roles in an alleged campaign of intimidation against the journalists. Two have pleaded guilty to felony charges. A civil lawsuit brought against NHPR, its journalists, and some of their sources by a central subject of the reporting was dismissed by a Rockingham County Superior Court judge earlier this year.
Event News and Press Coverage
• Connecticut Resident Daniel Dunn to Receive NEFAC’s Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award
• Maine Trust for Local News Wins Award for Coverage of Lewiston Shooting
• Maine Trust for Local News to Receive NEFAC’s 14th Annual Freedom of Information Award
• NEFAC to Honor Sarah-Ann Shaw, Pioneering Journalist and Community Advocate, with Annual First Amendment Award
• Nominations Open for NEFAC’s 2024 Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award; Deadline May 15
• NEFAC Seeks Nominations for 2024 Michael Donoghue Freedom of Information Award
Sponsors, Contributors and Other Supporters
Boston University | The Boston Globe | Hearst Connecticut Media Group | Emerson College | Morgan Lewis | Northeastern University | Roger Williams University | University of Connecticut | The Day | University of Rhode Island | WCVB-Boston | Prince Lobel | Goulston & Storrs
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