FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365
Applications are now available for fellowships to the 2016 New England First Amendment Institute. This sixth annual institute will be held from Oct. 16-18 in Dedham, Mass. Application materials can be obtained here.
The New England First Amendment Coalition provides the three-day investigative journalism workshop each year to 25 journalists working within the region. The institute is provided to these journalism fellows at no cost and features many of the country’s elite investigative reporters, editors and media attorneys.
“Our coalition has trained more than 120 New England journalists since we began offering this free institute,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of NEFAC. “We are excited to accept another class of fellows this year as part of our continuing effort to strengthen newsrooms throughout the region.”
Speakers and faculty for this year’s institute will be announced later this summer. Previous speakers include Pulitzer Prize winners Carol Leonnig of The Washington Post and David Barstow of The New York Times; the 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning Spotlight Team from The Boston Globe; as well as Anna Schecter, a Peabody Award winning producer for NBC; Cindy Galli of ABC News; and Bill Buzenberg, former executive director of the Center for Public Integrity.
NEFAI fellows will learn the latest investigative and database reporting techniques, state-specific public records and open meeting laws, and how to best obtain documents through the federal Freedom of Information Act, among many other skills.
This year’s institute is made possible by the generosity of many individual and organization donors, including the Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Foundation, The Robertson Foundation, The Boston Globe, Boston University and the Academy of New England Journalists.
More information about NEFAI 2016 can be read here. Information on previous institutes can be found here.
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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. Donations can be made here. Major Supporters of NEFAC for this year include The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund, The Boston Globe and Boston University.