FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
Edward Fitzpatrick, a member of the New England First Amendment Coalition‘s Board of Directors and the director of media and communications at Roger Williams University, will discuss democracy and the free press on Nov. 16 at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, 1 Benevolent Street, Providence, R.I.
The discussion titled “Protecting Pillars of Our Democracy” will begin at 7:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. A reception and pot luck dinner will precede Fitzpatrick’s remarks. More information can be found here.
EDWARD FITZPATRICK | As the Providence Journal‘s political columnist, Edward Fitzpatrick championed First Amendment freedoms, pressing for access to public records and open meetings, a free press and freedom of speech. He worked for the Providence Journal for 16 years before becoming the director of media and public relations at Roger Williams University. He received the Excellence in Public Service Award from Common Cause Rhode Island for advocating for open and accountable government. In 2016 and 2015, he received the first-place award for news/features columnist from the Rhode Island Press Association. Before coming to the Journal, he was a reporter at the Hartford Courant, Albany Times Union, Daily Gazette and Post Star, and city editor at The Saratogian. He grew up in Greenville, R.I., and graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in journalism and political science.
NEFAC offers discussions on journalism and the First Amendment as part of its Featured Speaker Program, launched in January to help increase First Amendment education in high schools, college classrooms and community centers. NEFAC recently presented to students at the University of New Hampshire; high school students in Bridgeport, Conn., and at the annual New England Scholastic Press Association conference at Boston University, among other New England locations and audiences.
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.
Major Supporters of NEFAC include the Barr Foundation, The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund, The Robertson Foundation, The Boston Globe, WBUR and Boston University.