FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition testified today in support of legislation that would improve access to public records in Massachusetts. Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director, spoke to a state legislative committee on behalf of the coalition, describing a lack of access to records and […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance is asking public record requesters to complete a survey designed to identify weaknesses in the state’s public records law. MassFOIA — consisting of the ACLU of Massachusetts, Common Cause Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, the New England First Amendment Coalition, and other like-minded organizations — created the survey and will use the results […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition recently called for more public participation in discussions about how to access Massachusetts court documents using new technology. In letters written on behalf of the coalition, NEFAC requested, among other things, more oversight of the electronic filing rule-making process, and increased […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition asked Connecticut legislators last week to support the original version of House Bill 6750, legislation that would require transparency within the state’s criminal justice system and would help keep government accountable and communities informed. The bill was recently amended to minimize the […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition filed an amicus brief yesterday with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court arguing that a statute criminalizing false campaign speech presents “grave concerns” to the freedom of the press. The statute — M.G.L. c. 56 § 42 — criminalizes the publication of “any false statement in relation […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce the addition of five members to its Board of Directors. “These individuals are proven advocates for the First Amendment and the public’s right to know,” said Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director. “We are honored to […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | justin@nefac.org | 774.244.2365 Satirist Bassem Youssef, considered by many to be the Arab world’s Jon Stewart, recently compared his free speech battles in Egypt to those fought in the United States. “We would like to tell ourselves that accepting satire is a sign of progress,” Youssef said. “But the truth is even […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition is joining open-government advocates across the country to celebrate this 10th annual Sunshine Week. This national campaign, beginning today, is an initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of transparency and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and […]
Marking Sunshine Week, Open-Government Groups Call for Long-Overdue Reforms FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE United under the banner of the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance (MassFOIA), open-government groups today urge the state legislature to quickly pass recently filed legislation intending to modernize and rationalize the Massachusetts public records law. Their call to action coincides with a national […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition is greatly concerned about the consequences of recent rulings that allow many documents related to criminal charges to be exempt under Massachusetts public records law. As reported today by Todd Wallack in The Boston Globe and confirmed by NEFAC, […]