HB 1002 is heading to the New Hampshire floor this Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, and could pass. The bill would impose a fee for Right To Know Requests of up to $25 per hour of employee time to, “make the record available to the requestor, including time to search, retrieve, duplicate, redact, and otherwise make the record available for the requestor.”

In short, this could make RTK requests cost-prohibitive and, if abused, could be used as a way to delay and/or deter RTK requests.

Along with the New England First Amendment Coalition and the Granite State News Collaborative, we are strongly encouraging all New Hampshire publications to write and/or publish an op-ed opposing this bill on or before Wednesday, Jan. 31. NEFAC has written a letter opposing the bill (link below) that you can use for reference or anyone can write their own op-ed to run. We will be sending copies of what others are running as we receive them.

Below are some links to additional information on the bill and opposition to it:

• Bill Text
• NEFAC Testimony
• ACLU Testimony
• Coalition Opposition to Amendment
• Nashua Telegraph Coverage

Here are some quotes you can use for op-eds if you need them:

“House Bill 1002 is a monumental step in the wrong direction. If enacted, it will discourage and prevent the citizenry of New Hampshire from gaining access to public records. The purpose of our Right to Know Law is to provide those in New Hampshire with the greatest possible public access to the work of our government and to help us keep those in government accountable for their actions. This bill would ensure the opposite result.” — Gregory V. Sullivan, President of the New England First Amendment Coalition

“We are concerned that the House Judiciary Committee’s vote today on HB1002 will, if adopted by the House, deter critical ‘Right-to-Know’ requests, undermine government transparency, and give government agencies another tool to obstruct providing information to taxpayers. New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know law has exposed police misconduct, how various agencies regulate schools, and how our laws are enforced. But by implementing significant fees to get this important information, many requests will never be made. The ACLU of New Hampshire—as part of a broad coalition that includes the New England First Amendment Coalition, the N.H. Press Association, the N.H. Union Leader, and the N.H. Bulletin—urges lawmakers to support government transparency and oppose this bill.” — Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director of the ACLU of New Hampshire

Please let us know if you have any questions.

The tuition-free Emerging News Leadership Program will train a cohort of local and rural news leaders in everything they need to know to run a sustainable news organization, through a rigorous, online curriculum developed by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, in partnership with the Google News Initiative.

The application for the six-month inaugural cohort opens today and closes on February 9, 2024. The program will focus on advanced digital skills, the business of news, and leadership & management. Publishers, founders, editors, managers, and others in local or rural media in the U.S. and abroad are highly encouraged to apply.

“Our goal is to help emerging news leaders refine their understanding of the new business realities of journalism, upgrade their digital skills, explore emerging technologies, and gain confidence in their leadership and strategy skills,” Niketa Patel, senior director of leadership programs at the Newmark J-School said. “With the Emerging News Leadership Program, we can offer talented local and rural journalists support in their leadership journey.”

Come hear from Niketa Patel, Senior Director of Leadership Programs at J+, at the Emerging News Leadership Program virtual Open House, on Tuesday, January 23 from 11am-Noon ET for an exclusive sneak peek into the inaugural cohort of this online, tuition-free program that empowers diverse rural and local media leaders.

Read more at journalism.cuny.edu

Every year, the Journalism Education Foundation of New England (JEFNE) awards scholarships to high school seniors and college students who are interested in pursuing a career in the newspaper industry. The scholarships, including the MacGregor Fiske Award, are presented by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, and up to 10 students are selected.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be residents of CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, or VT and should be studying for a career in journalism. High school seniors and undergraduate college students are encouraged to apply for the scholarship.

The application deadline is Friday, March 29, 2024. For more information, contact students@nenpa.com.

Qualifications for JEFNE Scholarships:

1. Be a resident of New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, or VT).
2. Must be a senior in high school or an undergraduate college student, studying journalism or a related field, planning to attend college in Fall 2024.
3. Have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
4. Demonstrate a serious interest in a career in journalism by sending: a cover letter, transcript, resume or biography, and letter of recommendation.
5. Submit a body of published work in a school news publication, general circulation newspaper, or a similar publication or a body of work prepared for a journalism class. A minimum of three works must be submitted.
6. PLEASE NOTE: You will receive an email confirming the receipt of your application with a link to a Dropbox folder to upload the required documents.

Journalism Scholarship Program Information
Journalism Scholarship Application
Download Print and Web Ads To Promote Journalism Scholarship

In reporting on many important issues, journalists are frequently required to understand key legal questions and called upon to describe accurately the developments in sometimes complex legal proceedings. Unfortunately, lawyers and judges involved in the case are not always available or willing to provide the necessary information needed by members of the media, allowing them to fully understand or explain the significance of certain legal aspects in a story they are covering. That’s where the Media Law School can help.

Media Law School, hosted by the University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications in cooperation with the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, and sponsored by the American Board of Trial Advocates and the American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation, provides selected journalists with the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the key stages of civil and criminal proceedings and to learn enough basic law to report accurately on many important issues in the news.

Approximately 30 journalists selected as Media Law School Fellows will visit the University of South Carolina campus from  March 13-16, 2024, for instruction from law professors, lawyers and judges on various aspects of the law and the legal system, to help them in their reporting on these issues.

Best of all, Fellows can receive this training at little to no cost.  There is no registration fee, and Fellows receive a $500 travel allowance and three nights hotel lodging within walking distance of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where the instruction sessions will be held.

Fellowship applications for Media Law School 2024 are due Feb. 1, 2024. Upon submission, you will receive an email confirming receipt of your application. Applicants selected to receive fellowships will be notified by email. If you have questions in the meantime, please email Dr. Carmen Maye at medialaw@law.sc.edu.

Learn more about the program and apply