FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently argued for the right to secretly record the public activities of government officials, including police officers. In an Oct. 4 amicus brief drafted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, NEFAC and other media organizations explained […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition and several media organizations recently filed an amicus brief arguing for protections under the Massachusetts ‘fair report’ privilege. The privilege allows news organizations to fairly and accurately report certain types of official or government action without being liable for […]
Today’s Decision Follows Amicus Brief Filed By NEFAC and Vermont Media Organizations FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition applauds a Vermont Supreme Court ruling released today that prevents citizens from being charged to inspect public records. “This is a major win for transparency in Vermont,” […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org After calls for disclosure by the New England First Amendment Coalition and other transparency advocates, the Vermont State Police recently ended more than two weeks of secrecy and provided the name of a teen driver involved in a fatal crash last month. “While the state […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition salutes the staff of The Mercury, a student-run high school newspaper at Bellows Free Academy-St. Albans (Vt.), for recently helping its local school board update the district’s student expression policy. NEFAC, along with the Vermont Press Association, served as […]
NEFAC Supports Effort of WCAX-TV Ownership to Provide Transparency, Reasoning Behind Ruling FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The Vermont Supreme Court today heard arguments about a sealed Superior Court ruling that addresses the state’s newly enacted reporter’s shield law. Gray Television, Inc., is seeking to unseal the decision which protected […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently argued that a New York fair report privilege protects the publication of unverified allegations that are part of official proceedings, protects reports on non-public official investigations and protects reporting on documents subject, even in part, to government investigation. […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently expressed concern about how a new online judicial records system will be implemented in Vermont. Proposed rules released by the Vermont Supreme Court in February cover records in both physical and electronic form. The rules are intended to […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently argued for access to information about how much revenue retailers earn from the federal nutrition assistance program, SNAP. NEFAC and 36 media organizations submitted on March 25 an amicus brief — drafted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently argued for the immediate release of civil court complaints, saying that “delay can result in a complete denial of meaningful access.” “The First Amendment requires contemporaneous access to civil complaints upon their filing,” NEFAC and other open government […]