By Mitchell W. Pearlman With eroded powers and under continuing attack, Connecticut’s first-of-a-kind Freedom of Information Act turned 40 earlier this month. After being involved in the fight for government transparency and accountability since 1975, I am often asked what are the most important issues facing those working to keep the government and its information open […]
By Jenifer McKim It is a federal mandate for states to publicly disclose information about child fatalities caused by abuse or neglect so that such tragedies can be prevented in the future. But obtaining that grim data can be difficult because of the time it takes and money it costs. A new report tabulating and describing publicly, for the […]
Amy Gajda is a law professor at the Tulane University Law School, and is recognized internationally for her expertise in media law, torts, information privacy and higher education law. Her book, The First Amendment Bubble: How Privacy and Paparazzi Threaten a Free Press, was published in January 2015 and explores judicial oversight of journalism news judgment. Gajda spoke with New England First […]
By Zachary Janowski The CIA has secrets, and we tend to accept that, but what about your state health insurance exchange? Not only does it have secrets, it has “trade secrets.” It may come as a surprise to you that the government has trade secrets. These are secrets the state of Connecticut can’t reveal, allegedly, because […]
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 […]
By Amanda Palmeira Every journalist has at least some familiarity with the beloved constitutional amendment that protects his or her craft. But the Newseum Institute recently found that not everyone appreciates the First Amendment as much as journalists do — and worse, some don’t even know what it is. Newseum released earlier this month its 2015 State of the First […]
Below is a copy of a letter written by the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance — a joint effort between the New England First Amendment Coalition and other open government advocates — in support of H.3665, an act to improve public records. It was hand-delivered today to every legislator at the Massachusetts State House alongside a copy […]
By Dan Kennedy A New Hampshire legislator who sponsored a bill making it a crime for voters to post “ballot selfies” on social media. A Massachusetts district attorney who told members of Congress that online privacy measures would only serve to protect terrorists and sexual deviants. A Maine principal who ordered students to remove a […]
By Amanda Palmeira The First Amendment protects the press and helps inform citizens before they cast their votes. But does the First Amendment also protect the right of New Hampshire residents to inspect those ballots after they are cast? New Hampshire has an explicit exemption to its Right to Know law that prevents the public from inspecting cast votes. Passed in […]
By Daniel Klau Answer: Yes. Explanation: Without a single word of discussion, the UConn board of trustees recently voted to adopt a $1.3 billion budget for the upcoming year. How is it possible to adopt a budget of that magnitude without any public discussion? According to UConn, by having the discussion behind closed doors before the formal […]