NEFAI 2016

 About the New England First Amendment Institute

Journalists from a variety of media and all six New England states will gather in Dedham, Mass., Oct. 16-18, to learn the latest investigative and database reporting techniques and public records access skills. The fellows chosen for this sixth annual New England First Amendment Institute reflect today’s diverse news media and come from daily and weekly newspapers, television and radio stations and online publications. [More]

Location and Conference Hotel

The institute will be held at the headquarters of the New England Newspaper & Press Association at 370 Common Street in Dedham, Mass. For those in need of lodging, please notify NEFAC via mail[at]nefac.org to reserve a room at the Holiday Inn Dedham-Boston Hotel and Conference Center, 55 Ariadne Road in Dedham.

Institute Materials

• Program

Application Materials — (Closed)

• Application and Recommendation Form

Faculty and Speakers

• Jordan Bailey | Courier Publications
• Dan Barrett | American Civil Liberties Union
• Robert Bertsche | Prince Lobel Tye, LLP
• Dieter Bradbury | Portland Press Herald
• Peter Caruso | Caruso & Caruso, LLP
• David DesRoches | WNPR-Connecticut
• Michael Donoghue | Burlington Free Press (formerly)
• Vincent Duffy | Michigan Radio
• Thomas Fiedler | Boston University
• Rick Gagliuso | Gagliuso and Gagliuso, PA
• Cindy Galli | ABC News
• Matt Kauffman | Hartford Courant
• Bill Keller | The Marshall Project
• Ray Marcaccio | Oliverio & Marcaccio, LLP
• Andrea K. McDaniels | The Baltimore Sun
• Jenifer McKim | New England Center for Investigative Reporting
• Eric Moskowitz | The Boston Globe
• Colleen Murphy | Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
• Shawn Musgrave | New England Center for Investigative Reporting
• Gene Policinski | Newseum Institute and First Amendment Center
• Mike Rezendes | The Boston Globe
• Anna Schecter | NBC News
• Sigmund Schutz | Preti Flaherty
• Jeremy Singer-Vine | BuzzFeed News
• James Smith | Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
• Mike Stanton | University of Connecticut
• Gregory V. Sullivan | Malloy & Sullivan
• Jodi Upton | USA Today (formerly) and Syracuse University
• Don Van Natta | ESPN
• Todd Wallack | The Boston Globe
• Nancy West | InDepthNH
• Brooke Williams | Boston University
• Susan Wornick | WCVB-Boston (formerly)
• Mitchell Zuckoff | Boston University

NEFAI2016 Fellows

Connecticut

• Julia Bergman | The Day
• Ann Bisaro | New Haven Register
• Mikaela Porter | Hartford Courant

Maine

• Matthew Daigle | Sun Journal
• Stephanie Grinnell | Republican Journal
• Kyle Jones | WMTW-Portland
• Joshua Moore | Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
• Marina Villeneuve | Associated Press

Massachusetts

• Zeninjor Enwemeka | WBUR-Boston
• Jordan Frias | Boston Herald
• Phil Marcelo | Associated Press
• Tom Relihan | The Recorder
• Susan Spencer | Telegram & Gazette
• Gerry Tuoti | Gatehouse Media

New Hampshire

• Peter Biello | New Hampshire Public Radio
• Tim Camerato | Valley News
• Meghan Foley | Keene Sentinel
• Allie Morris | Concord Monitor
• Ella Nilsen | Concord Monitor

Rhode Island

• Jacqueline Tempera | Providence Journal

Vermont

• Jessica Aloe | Burlington Free Press
• Colin Flanders | Essex Reporter
• Stephanie Gorin | WPTZ-Burlington
• Katie Jickling | The Herald
• Elizabeth Murray | Burlington Free Press

As pictured above: (from left to right, row one) Elizabeth Murray, Burlington Free Press; Tom Relihan, The Recorder; Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR-Boston; Gerry Tuoti, Gatehouse Media; Jordan Frias, Boston Herald; (row two) Anna Bisaro, New Haven Register; Ella Nilsen, Concord Monitor; Matthew Daigle, Sun Journal; Mikaela Porter, Hartford Courant; Joshua Moore, Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting; (row three) Stephanie Gorin, NBC5-Vermont; Tim Camerato, Valley News; Phil Marcelo, Associated Press; Jess Aloe, Burlington Free Press; Susan Spencer, Telegram & Gazette; (row four) Colin Flanders, Essex Reporter and Colchester Sun; Katie Jickling, The Herald; Allie Morris, Concord Monitor; Peter Biello, New Hampshire Public Radio; Stephanie Grinnell, The Republican Journal; (row five) Julia Bergman, The Day; Kyle Jones, WMTW-Portland; Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press; Jacqueline Tempera, The Providence Journal; Meghan Foley, The Keene Sentinel

Program Topics Include

• Tales from the Trenches | Panelists will share their practical experience in investigative work through painstaking interviewing and use of freedom of information laws to unearth corruption and bring truth to light.
• Common Pitfalls | Panelists will discuss how to accessing documents through FOI requests and how to respond to denials.
• Tips for Staying Out of Legal Trouble | A team of media attorneys will explain common issues of concern in defamation and privacy law.
• State FOI Law | The specifics of each state’s public records and open meeting laws will be discussed and cases will be reviewed in break-out sessions with knowledgeable attorneys and journalists from each state.
• The Confrontational Interview & Transition to Audio or Video | Veteran journalists will discuss how to prepare for difficult interviews and provide strategies on how to engage viewers and listeners.
• Writing Workshop and Narrative Flow | Fellows will learn narrative writing techniques and how to improve their storytelling.
• Hunch to Headline | Fellows will learn the steps necessary to follow up on a lead using publicly available databases and how to turn that information into a compelling story.
• Effective Sourcing | Panelists will discuss how to best develop sources and relationships, and how to evaluate information.

NEFAI Sponsors, Contributors and NEFAC Major Supporters

The Providence Journal Charitable Foundation | The Robertson Foundation | The Boston Globe | The New England Newspaper & Press Association | Boston University | Academy of New England Journalists