by K B | Jun 18, 2020 | News, Resources, Uncategorized
Citizens’ recordings of police actions have become catalysts for change and reform. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation urges local governments and police departments across the state to codify citizens’ right to record police activity. We call on local public...
by K B | Jun 15, 2020 | News
GFAF joins a nationwide call for more transparency in law enforcement misconduct processes and urges Georgia legislators to make police body, dashboard and drone camera video immediately available in all use-of-force cases. The Georgia First Amendment Foundation has...
by K B | Jun 2, 2020 | News, Resources
Journalists in Georgia and across the nation have been arrested or detained while covering recent protests. Learn about your rights and what to do during police encounters with a tips sheet prepared by the UGA School of Law First Amendment Clinic’s legal intern...
by K B | Apr 8, 2020 | News
By Clare Norins Narrow restriction of local information about confirmed cases of COVID-19 begs the question: What, exactly, is the appropriate balance between protecting an individual’s identity and the public’s right to information during a public health crisis? The...
by K B | Apr 3, 2020 | News
By Sarah Brewerton-Palmer Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s shelter-in-place order to address the growing COVID-19 coronavirus crisis took effect at 6 p.m. on April 3 and will last through April 30, unless extended. Members of the media are exempt from the shelter-in-place...
by K B | Mar 26, 2020 | News
Georgians navigating the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis are adapting almost every aspect of their lives to the new normal of physical separation. Social distancing is also affecting how government officials and agencies meet to make decisions and how they enable public...
by K B | Mar 20, 2020 | News
By Sarah Brewerton-Palmer As the world reacts to the coronavirus pandemic, public meetings have suddenly become a threat to public health. In response, governmental entities across the state and the country are transitioning from in-person meetings to virtual...
by K B | Mar 20, 2020 | News
By Richard T. Griffiths Since the beginning of the Georgia Open Records Act, the Legislature has exempted itself from the state’s Sunshine Laws. Two identical bills, submitted by Gov. Brian Kemp’s floor leaders in the House and Senate, would fix that. If passed,...
by K B | Feb 6, 2020 | News
Transparency implications of proposed legislation dominated the discussion at the Georgia First Amendment Foundation’s annual Legislative Breakfast on Jan. 23. State Sen. Jen Jordan, state Rep. Josh McLaurin, Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist James Salzer and...
by K B | Dec 12, 2019 | News
By Richard T. Griffiths Here’s what happens to communities when local journalism collapses: Taxpayers pay more and know less. When local newspapers shut down, county payrolls swell, jumping $1.4 million within a year of a newspaper closing. Taxpayers pay more in...
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