NEFAC Offering Online and In-Person Services; Reserve Guest Speakers for Academic Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
The New England First Amendment Coalition is providing educators throughout the region a variety of resources to incorporate into their classroom lessons this academic year.
The materials and services address a range of First Amendment topics, journalism skills and freedom of information laws.
“Since 2006, NEFAC has been providing First Amendment and journalism education across New England,” said Justin Silverman, the coalition’s executive director. “We’re excited to now be offering these new services and resources to teachers as they prepare for the fall semester.”
30 Minute Skills
This program provides knowledge that can be used immediately to improve newsgathering, data collection, storytelling and other areas of journalism and First Amendment law. These short classes include Web Scraping, How to Protect Women Journalists, and HIPAA and Public Records.
View all classes here.
First Amendment and the Free Press
This program includes in-person and remote presentations, interviews and other discussions about the First Amendment and the role journalists play in our democracy. We invite local journalists to pull back the curtain to their newsrooms and explain how they and their colleagues do their jobs — an essential part of building trust between citizens and the reporters covering their communities.
View all recorded interviews and presentations here.
FOI Guide
The FOI Guide features answers to commonly asked questions about public records, cites notable case law and links to additional resources, including recent legislation for all New England states. It also features video tutorials on public records and discussions with journalists, attorneys and other open government experts on how records can be obtained.
Start exploring our FOI Guide here.
Public Records 101
NEFAC recently produced introductory lessons on each New England state’s respective public records law. These lessons are taught by open government experts and attorneys. Also included is a lesson on the federal Freedom of Information Act.
View all lessons here.
Guest Speakers and Instructors
NEFAC provides access to both in-person and remote guest speakers who can teach lessons on a variety of journalism and First Amendment topics. Reserve a guest speaker or instructor and learn more about how the coalition can meet your classroom needs.
Email NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman at justin@nefac.org.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
Major Supporters of NEFAC include Hearst Connecticut Media Group, Paul and Ann Sagan, The Boston Globe, WBUR, Boston University and the Robertson Foundation.