At our recent New England Newspaper Convention, a standing-room-only town hall session made one thing clear: the challenges facing the First Amendment, access to public information, and trust in the media are top of mind for journalists across the region. The energy and urgency in that room inspired the creation of a new initiative designed to keep the conversation going and provide concrete tools for action.
The New England Newspaper and Press Association is proud to introduce the First Amendment Collaborative—a platform dedicated to strengthening press freedom, defending access to information, and restoring public trust in journalism.
This collaborative will serve as a story and resource sharing hub for NENPA members and news organizations around New England, offering:
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Editorials, commentaries, and op-eds that can be reprinted or localized
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Reporting and case studies that highlight threats to press freedom
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Legal resources and First Amendment advocacy tools
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Specialized training and professional development opportunities
In addition to ongoing content and tools, the Collaborative will host quarterly town halls to continue the dynamic exchange of ideas and solutions sparked at our convention. The next session will be held in June. Stay tuned for registration details.
To preview the kind of programming the Collaborative will champion, we invite you to register for our upcoming NENPA U webinar:
Silencing the Fourth Estate: Legal Tactics Threatening U.S. Press Freedom
🗓 Thursday, May 29 at 1:00 PM
Join award-winning journalist and New York Times Deputy Investigations Editor David Enrich for a timely discussion on the growing use of legal pressure tactics to silence the press. Drawing on years of investigative experience, Enrich will examine how these methods are eroding the foundations of a free press and what journalists can do to protect their rights.
🔗 Register here
We hope you’ll join us in building this Collaborative into a powerful regional force for First Amendment protection and media trust. If you are interested in learning more about the Collaborative, please email Linda Conway at l.conway@nenpa.com.