My name is Tom Fiedler. I’m the dean of the College of Communication at Boston University and I’m the president of the New England First Amendment Coalition. The New England First Amendment Coalition exists for the sole purpose of supporting an informed and engaged electorate and I can’t emphasize those two words enough. Informed because […]

The last several months have been trying for journalists and the First Amendment. The marginalization of the Fourth Estate, claims of fake news, the belittling of political protests and the questioning of clear truths have overwhelmed American discourse. The conversation — often led by a president who considers journalists enemies of the American people — can seem […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition expressed concern this week about a proposed policy that would limit access to recordings of the Maine State House Facilities Committee, calling such recordings “an invaluable tool to aid with accuracy and immediacy, and one that is in the […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition today joined fellow Rhode Island open government groups to call for the release of testimony given in the 38 Studios grand jury proceedings. The organizations — NEFAC, Access/RI, League of Women Voters of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Press […]

“The old provision of secret files, even when there had been a hearing, is just one of several outdated policies,” said Michael Donoghue, NEFAC’s vice president and a former Burlington Free Press staff writer. “Our coalition urged the Vermont Attorney General’s Office not to waste tax dollars trying to defend this policy when Vermont was the only state doing it this way.”

If L.D. 1432 were to become law, NEFAC explained, inexpensive and routine documents can be withheld for the sake of the relatively low fees that could be collected in return, creating “a system ripe for obfuscation and needless delay.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently testified in support of Vermont legislation that would protect student journalists at public high schools and colleges from being punished by administrators for stories they report. Senate Bill 18 codifies many of the First Amendment protections that already […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce a $45,000 grant from the Barr Foundation in Boston to help strengthen journalism and protect freedom of the press. “The Barr Foundation’s generosity will allow us to improve and expand our educational programming,” said Justin […]

NEFAC Filed Amici Brief Arguing New Hampshire Law Violated First Amendment Rights, Infringed Free Speech FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | mail@nefac.org The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a First Circuit Court of Appeals decision to strike down a New Hampshire law banning “ballot selfies.” By declining to review […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | mail@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently joined an amici curiae brief in a case involving a journalist arrested in 2011 while recording police at an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — which has […]