The New England First Amendment Center has been launched by Northeastern University's School of Journalism and the New England First Amendment Coalition to focus attention on government access issues.
Among its activities, the Center will call attention to efforts to restrict access to public records and meetings, and it will maintain a Web site and hotline providing information and assistance to journalists and others. It also intends to engage in original research and host seminars on public records and open meetings laws.
"There is a need for greater awareness of the importance of freedom of information in a free society," said NEFAC President Tom Heslin, interim executive editor of the Providence (R.I.) Journal. "The right to know is as essential to a functioning democracy as the right to vote."
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