First Amendment Foundation advocates for transparency
Published 4:00 pm Sunday, October 7, 2018
- Jason A. Smith | The Valdosta Daily TimesJim Zachary, The Valdosta Daily Times editor and regional editor for its parent company Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., hosts a training seminar on open record and open meeting laws.
ATLANTA — The Georgia First Amendment Foundation protects the public’s right to know and rights of access.
The foundation says the fight for government transparency and free speech has never been more important, and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation is the only organization in the state that’s 100 percent committed to the cause.
GFAF formed in 1994 and is a nonprofit organization.
Its stated mission: “Educate citizens, public officials, journalists and lawyers on Georgia’s open records, open meetings and free speech laws.”
GFAF advocates for government transparency, free speech rights and access to public information, meetings and proceedings.
Resources
The foundation’s Citizen’s Guide to Open Government and Law Enforcement Officer’s Guide To Open Records in Georgia are considered to be the most authoritative resources of their kind in Georgia.
Training
GFAF open government trainers Jim Zachary and Ken Foskett, along with fellow board members, conduct open records and open meetings workshops for the general public, public officials and journalists throughout the state of Georgia.
Open government training can be scheduled by emailing info@gfaf.org or contacting Foskett or Zachary at zacharyjim@gmail.com
The First Amendment Foundation has conducted workshops to train community groups, law-enforcement officers and journalists about access rights to video from drones and police body cameras, as well as protections for citizens recording police via personal mobile phones or cameras.
Advocacy
GFAF worked with First Amendment advocates and media organizations statewide to expand free speech rights, advocated for increased penalties for government entities that don’t allow access to public meetings, proceedings and records, as required by Georgia law and formally objected to the arrests of journalists covering issues of public interest.
The foundation has written letters of inquiry to help Georgia residents and journalists gain access to government meetings, court proceedings and public records and filed legal briefs in support of open government causes throughout the state.
Membership
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation is a membership-based nonprofit 501(c) (3).
Those interested can learn more at gfaf.org/become-a-member. Email info@gfaf.org.
GFAF can be followed on Twitter @Ga_FAF.
