By Amanda Palmeira The New England First Amendment Coalition recently hosted a panel discussion on Connecticut’s public records law and the use of body cameras by law enforcement. It highlighted the often contentious balancing of privacy and transparency interests. Titled “Caught on Camera: The FOI Fallout from Police Cameras,” the April 8 discussion was part of the Making […]
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By Amanda Palmeira Police body camera legislation and state freedom of information laws are on a collision course. With 34 states considering legislation to address body cameras for law enforcement last year, questions about the public’s accessibility to the footage captured by those cameras still abound. Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic recently argued, however, […]
By Amanda Palmeira Following recent excessive force cases across the country, many states are quickly legislating the use of body-worn cameras for police officers. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported that 34 states, as of May 18, 2015, were considering legislation to address this law enforcement issue. Within New England, states have responded to the technology to different degrees, and in some cases, not […]
Moore v. United States of America (U.S. 2022) The technology at issue in this case poses an untenable threat to confidential association, and with it the freedom to gather news. Too many lower courts have acquiesced in a framework that would give the government discretion to surveil citizens in the most constitutionally sensitive of locations […]
Maura Healey Takes Right Step in Pledging Transparency as Governor | MassLive 12.29.22 Government transparency has been an objective of the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, the New England Newspaper & Press Association and the New England First Amendment Coalition. It isn’t just members of these organizations who will benefit, though, but the public at large. […]
Transparency is the first the step to justice. As our country debates the role of police in our communities, it’s important to remember that the public’s right to know about government is a prerequisite to accountability. Citizens must know how their law enforcement agencies operate in order to understand if they are working in the […]
Why Burlington Police are Withholding Diver’s Name | Burlington Free Press 12.28.18 “This is the first time in 50 years of reporting that they’ve refused me a name,” said Mike Donoghue, executive director of the Vermont Press Association, a vice president at the New England First Amendment Coalition and former Free Press reporter. “What Burlington is […]
By Zachary Carlton The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that police dashboard camera footage should be released under the state’s public records law in most circumstances, a decision that states grappling with similar access issues ought to consider. The laws on releasing police video — most often taken with dashboard or body cameras — in […]
Journal Reporter, Former Columnist Join NEFC Board | Providence Journal 12.7.16 A Providence Journal reporter and a former Journal columnist will join The New England First Amendment Coalition board, which promotes greater understanding of the right to free speech and freedom of the press nationally. Washington Post Media Columnist Wins New England Prize | Associated Press […]
NEFAC participates in many discussions and conferences throughout the year. Often the coalition will provide useful reference materials to those who attend these events. The New Mass. Public Records Law: What It Means to You and Your Newsroom | J.J. Foley’s Cafe, Boston | Feb. 2, 2017 Materials include: · “Massachusetts Has a New Public Records Law […]