FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of a Rhode Island bill that would strengthen the state’s public records law by making long-overdue common sense improvements. “The Access to Public Records Act has not been significantly reformed in more than a decade,” […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org Public records are one of the key tools journalists use to shed light on state and local government in Rhode Island. Hear from working journalists who use Rhode Island’s public records law daily to tell important stories and hold our government accountable. Learn the good […]
Select Group of Students to Join Annual New England First Amendment Institute This Month FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce that a select group of student journalists from Rhode Island will be joining its annual Institute. Now in its 13th year, NEFAC’s New England […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition and the ACLU of Rhode Island called on the Warwick City Council to recognize the public’s freedom of speech after a resident was recently escorted out of an open meeting by police. During the public comment period of the […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition helped commence the 25th annual Open Government Summit in Rhode Island today, calling on public officials to uphold freedom of information laws and provide transparency whenever possible. The summit — hosted by the Office of the Attorney General […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition will be at the Rhode Island Library Annual Conference to provide presentations on First Amendment law and common challenges faced by local journalists. The conference will be May 24-25 at the Providence Public Library. NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman […]
Please note that NEFAC submitted similar testimony for House Bill No. 5454 which proposes the same changes as the Senate legislation described below. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of a Rhode Island bill that would strengthen the state’s “often failing public records […]
Jan. 27, 2023 | 3:45 p.m. ET The New England First Amendment Coalition is continuing its series on state open meeting laws with a new class on executive sessions. This class features NEFAC’s Tim White, an investigative journalist for WPRI in Providence. White will share a story about a government agency holding an executive session, […]
By Tim White A new public-records decision by Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office highlights the constant tug of war the public faces in accessing information they have a right to see, while also sending a clear message to government agencies: it pays to be opaque. Last year my colleague Eli Sherman asked Gov. Daniel McKee’s office for […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition and several Rhode Island organizations — collectively known as Access Rhode Island — highlighted today deficiencies in a recently released state policy for the use of police-worn body cameras. The groups wrote in a statement that: “While the policy deployed […]