FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce the addition of three members to its Board of Directors. “We are honored to have these individuals join our board,” said Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director. “Their expertise will make us a stronger organization and help us better advocate for […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently joined 52 journalism and open government groups, calling on President Obama to stop practices in federal agencies that prevent important information from getting to the public. The organizations sent a letter — drafted by the Society of Professional Journalists — on Aug. 10 […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled last week that a statute criminalizing false campaign speech is unconstitutional, saying that the law “chills the very exchange of ideas that gives meaning to our electoral system.” The New England First Amendment Coalition filed an amicus brief in the case last April expressing “grave concerns” over the statute’s […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Secretary William F. Galvin filed on Monday an initiative petition to revise the state public records law. The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance (MassFOIA), a network of more than 40 groups committed to reforming the state public records law, including the New England First Amendment Coalition, does not support the petition. Rather, […]
NEFAC, Open Government Groups Call Memo to Cabinet Secretaries a Positive, But Limited Step The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance, a network of more than 40 groups committed to reforming the state public records law, today commended Gov. Charlie Baker for issuing guidance to improve state executive agencies’ handling of requests for information, but emphasized […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 Our work to improve the Massachusetts public records law nearly paid off last week. The House of Representatives scheduled a vote on HB 3665, legislation that would broaden access to public records and provide enforcement measures in the law where currently there are none. The New England First […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 Applications are now available for fellowships to the 2015 New England First Amendment Institute. This fifth annual institute will be held from Oct. 18-20 in Dedham, Mass. Application materials can be obtained here. The New England First Amendment Coalition provides the three-day investigative journalism workshop […]
Dear Friend of the First Amendment, In February, we honored retired federal judge Nancy Gertner with our annual Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award. Gertner spoke about the need for transparency within government and reminded those at our awards luncheon that “it is critical that we do something.” It is critical that we do something. Throughout […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition testified yesterday in favor of improving access to Massachusetts court records, calling such access a long-standing public benefit within the Commonwealth. “Public access to court records is not just a public benefit to the here and now, it is […]
The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance today applauded the first enforcement of the public records law in five years by the Attorney General’s Office. MassFOIA is a network of more than 40 groups, including the New England First Amendment Coalition, committed to reforming the state public records statute. The Boston Globe recently reported that Attorney […]