Journalists from a variety of media and all six New England states will locally, remotely and from Sept. 18-20 at Boston University to learn the latest investigative and database reporting techniques and public records access skills. The fellows chosen for this 16th annual Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute reflect today’s diverse news media and come from daily and weekly newspapers, television and radio stations and online publications. Learn more about the 2026 Negri First Amendment Institute.
Local FOI Workshops
Local FOI workshops will be scheduled prior to meeting at Boston University. These workshops will address each state’s respective public records and open meeting laws. Fellows are expected to attend and discuss specific access challenges they are experiencing.
▶ Connecticut
Date TBD
ACLU of Connecticut
765 Asylum Avenue, Hartford
Dan Barrett | ACLU of Connecticut
Len Besthoff | NBC Connecticut
Required Viewing:
▶ Maine
Date TBD
Preti Flaherty
45 Memorial Circle #401, Augusta
Judith Meyer | MFOIC
Sigmund Schutz | Preti Flaherty
Required Viewing:
▶ Massachusetts
Date TBD
The Boston Globe
One Exchange Place, Suite 201, Boston
Peter J. Caruso, Sr. | Caruso & Caruso
Laura Crimaldi | The Boston Globe
Required Viewing:
▶ New Hampshire
Date TBD
ACLU of New Hampshire
18 Low Avenue, Concord
Gilles Bissonnette | ACLU-NH
Annmarie Timmins | NHPR
Required Viewing:
▶ Rhode Island
Date TBD
WPRI
25 Catamore Boulevard, East Providence
Eli Sherman | WPRI-Providence
Tim White | WPRI-Providence
Required Viewing:
▶ Vermont
Date TBD
University of Vermont
85 South Prospect Street, Burlington
Courtney Lamdin | University of Vermont
Lia Ernst | ACLU Vermont
Required Viewing:
Remote Programming
Online programming will be scheduled prior to meeting at Boston University and will be accessible via Zoom.
▶ Meet and Greet
All Fellows
Grab your beverage of choice and join us for a round of Two Truths and Lie. Never played this icebreaker? It’s easy. We’ll all take turns making three statements about ourselves to the group. Two of the statements should be true. The third, a lie. Once you’re done, we’ll all guess which one you made up. It’s an easy and a fun way to get to know each other.
Date TBD | 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Zoom Link to Be Provided
Host: Megan Sherman | Westside Events
▶ Introduction to R – Prep Session
Mandatory for Fellows Attending Introduction to R Class
Fellows will have the option of attending either Basic Database Analysis or Introduction to R during the Institute. Those choosing Introduction to R must attend this prep session prior to the Institute.
Sept. 4 | Time TBD | Zoom Link to Be Provided
Maggie Mulvihill | Boston University
Prep Materials:
Required:
- Install Base R and R Studio prior to class
- Review Introduction to R and Getting to Know the R Environment
September 18
5:00 Registration
5:30 – 8:30 Dinner Program
All fellows will be meeting at the Hotel Commonwealth to network and enjoy NEFAC’s annual awards ceremony.
September 19
8:15 – 8:30 Announcements
8:30 – 10:00 Common Sourcing Pitfalls and How to Respond
Kevin G. Andrade | The New Bedford Light
Ryan Kath | NBC 10 Boston
TBA
(Moderator) Jenifer McKim | GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting
10:00 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 12:00 Sourcing Case Study: CT Mirror’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning “On the Hook” Series
Elizabeth Hamilton | CT Mirror
Ginny Monk | CT Mirror
(Moderator) Jenifer McKim | GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting
Required Reading: (1) “On the Hook” Series
Suggested Viewing: (1) How to Diversify Your Sources (2) How to Find People Online (3) How to Interview Hostile Sources
12:00 – 12:30 Break
12:30 – 2:45 Break-Out Classes [Assignments]
Fellows will be attending two separate 60-minute classes with a working lunch provided at 12:30. The first class is 12:30 to 1:30 and the second class is 1:45 to 2:45. Class locations below.
BUSINESS REPORTING
Zeninjor Enwemeka | WBUR
Required Viewing: (1) Business Reporting 101
CLIMATE
TBA
Required Viewing: (1) Climate Reporting
TRAUMA REPORTING
Gal Tziperman Lotan | GBH News
Required Viewing: (1) Interviewing Traumatized Sources
EDUCATION
Marina Villeneuve | The Hechinger Report
POLICE REPORTING
Andrew Ryan | The Boston Globe
Suggested Viewing: (1) Access to State Courts (2) Police Misconduct Records
STUDENT JOURNALISM
Meghan Irons | Boston University
2:45 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:45 Copyright, Libel and Newsroom Legal Q/A
Robert Bertsche | Klaris Law
Introduction: Justin Silverman | New England First Amendment Coalition
Required Viewing: (1) How to Avoid Libel in Your Reporting (2) Copyright Law 101 (3) Copyright Law 102
Suggested Viewing: (1) HIPAA and Public Records (2) FERPA and Public Records (3) How to Balance Newsgathering with Privacy
5:45 – 6:45 Networking
6:45 – 9:00 (or later) Dinner and Keynote Presentation
TBA
Moderator: Shirley Leung | The Boston Globe
September 20
8:15 – 8:30 Announcements
8:30 – 10:00 How AI Can Support Local Journalism
TBA
Introduction: Justin Silverman | New England First Amendment Coalition
Laptop Required for this Class. Suggested Viewing: (1) How Journalists Can Begin Using AI (2) Vibe Coding for Journalists
10:00 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 12:30 Database Analysis Break-Out Classes [Assignments]
Using database technology to analyze publicly available or FOI-request-won data to understand societal, financial, and economic trends is an important tool for the seasoned reporter.
BASIC DATABASE ANALYSIS
Brooke Williams | Boston University
Laptop Required for this Class.
Required Viewing: (1) Class Introduction and Database Basics
Suggested Viewing: (1) Microsoft Excel 101 (2) Microsoft Excel 102 (3) Finding High Quality Data for Stories (4) Data Cleaning 101 (5) Data Cleaning 102 (6) Data Visualization 101
INTRODUCTION TO R
Maggie Mulvihill | Boston University
Required Viewing: (1) Intro to R 101 (2) Intro to R 102
Only those who attended the Introduction to R – Prep Session are permitted to attend this lesson. Please download all necessary software and files prior to attending.
12:30 – 2:00 Lunch
1:00 Keynote Speaker
Erin O’Mara | Journalism New England
Introduction: Justin Silverman | New England First Amendment Coalition
2:00 – 2:45 Photo/Break [Location TBD]
2:45 – 4:15 Break-Out Classes [Assignments]
CONFRONTATIONAL INTERVIEWS FOR BROADCAST
Jim Hummel | The Hummel Report
WRITING WORKSHOP
Dick Lehr | Boston University
4:15 – 4:30 Break
4:30 – 5:30 Former Fellows Discussion
TBA
TBA
Moderator: Justin Silverman | New England First Amendment Coalition
5:30 – 5:45 Concluding Remarks
Justin Silverman | New England First Amendment Coalition