FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
The New England First Amendment Coalition helped commence the 26th annual Open Government Summit in Rhode Island today, reminding public officials they are gatekeepers to information and must act in the spirit of transparency.
The summit — hosted by the Office of the Attorney General and Roger Williams University — features presentations on the state’s Access to Public Records Act and Open Meeting Act. The program’s audience is comprised of mostly public officials and other government employees.
“You all have an enormous responsibility that I deeply appreciate and respect as a reporter,” said Colleen Cronin, a reporter for ecoRI and a member of NEFAC’s Rhode Island team. “You work at the front lines of access and have exposed inefficiencies and corruption and held those who have misused power accountable. I hope that you will continue to act as accessible gatekeepers.”
Ed Fitzpatrick, a NEFAC Board member and reporter for The Boston Globe, also spoke on behalf of the coalition. He shared a story about the late Superior Court Clerk Pat Picano.
“He went out of his way to help me find court documents,” Fitzpatrick said of Picano. “He made me realize the importance of the public officials like yourselves who serve as stewards of public records, the gatekeepers who play a vital role in providing key access to public documents.”
This is the sixth consecutive year NEFAC participated in the summit. View the coalition’s remarks from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Learn more about state public record laws with NEFAC’s multimedia FOI Guide.
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.
NEFAC is supported by the Estate of Gloria Negri. Additional funding is provided by Leadership Circle donors including the Rhode Island Foundation, The Boston Globe, Paul and Ann Sagan, and the Robertson Foundation. Major Supporters of NEFAC’s work are Hearst Connecticut Media Group, Boston University, the Academy of New England Journalists, Connecticut Public, WCVB-Boston and WBUR-Boston.