from New England First Amendment Coalition:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Twenty-five New England journalists will be selected to study FOI law and investigative reporting techniques at the inaugural First Amendment Institute in Dedham, Mass., this fall.
Fellows taking part in the three-day curriculum presented by the New England First Amendment Coalition and Northeastern University's Initiative for Investigative Reporting will work with a faculty that includes six Pulitzer Prize winners and prominent media law and First Amendment attorneys.
"The goal of the Institute is to train journalists as FOI advocates, equipped with the tools needed to bring to light issues of public importance," said Mary Jane Wilkinson, NEFAC vice president. "When they return to their news organizations, they will be prepared to take leadership roles in monitoring transparency in government."
Applications will be accepted until Sept. 15 from journalists at all career levels with a demonstrated interest in investigative work and right-to-know issues, and successful applicants will be notified by Oct. 15. Application documents are available below.
"There are too few full-time investigative reporters. But reporters who are familiar with investigative reporting tools and public access laws are invaluable in any newsroom," said Walter V. Robinson, longtime editor of The Boston Globe's Spotlight Team and a Pulitzer winner in 2003 for exposing the priest sex scandal that continues to roil the Roman Catholic Church.
The workshops will take place at the New England Newspaper and Press Association's headquarters in Dedham on Nov. 13 – 15.
Roseanna Cavanagh, NEFAC's executive director, said the program is supported by a grant from the McLean Contributorship on behalf of The Telegraph of Nashua, N.H.
"We are so grateful to McLean and The Telegraph that we are able to bring this institute to life," Cavanagh said, "and we could not be more excited about the Institute's faculty and curriculum."
Visit NEFAC events page for more information and registration.