Meghan Irons, NEFAC mentor and Boston University professor, describes the state of student journalism and its vital role in our communities. Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, discusses the detainment of a student op/ed writer by federal immigration authorities… and why this should alarm us all.

Guest Bios and Contact Information

• Meghan Irons | mirons@bu.edu
• Mike Hiestand | mhiestand@splc.org

Additional News and Resources

Student Journalism

• NEFAC Mentors
• The Increasingly Important Role of Student Journalists | East Bay Media Group
• A Possible Role for Student Journalists and Student Journalism in Helping to Provide Communities with Local News

ICE Detentions and Student Press

• NEFAC, National First Amendment Groups Condemn Detention of Tufts University Student Op/Ed Writer
• Detention of Tufts Student is a Brazen Attack on the First Amendment | The Day
• Writing an Op-Ed is Not Grounds for Deportation | ACLU

Megan Rhyne at the National Freedom of Information Coalition describes troubling freedom of information trends throughout the country. Bangor Daily News reporter Sawyer Loftus discusses online access to Maine court records and how a promise made 10 years ago remains unfulfilled.

Guest Bios and Contact Information

• Megan Rhyne | mrhyne@opengovva.org
• Sawyer Loftus | sloftus@bangordailynews.com

Additional News and Resources

Open Government Trends

• National Freedom of Information Coalition
• Sunshine Week
• Sunshine Week 2025 | NEFAC
• MuckRock Survey of FOIA Fees Points to Uneven Picture Across Country
• Beast or Burden: Nuisance, Vexatious, or Burdensome Public Records Requests | NFOIC

Maine Online Court Record Access

• NEFAC to Maine Judicial Branch: Online Court Records System Broken, Needs Immediate Fix
• Maine Has Spent Millions to Digitize Court Records — and They’re Still Mostly Not Online | Portland Press Herald
• Online Access to State Court Documents in Maine (video)
• Maine FOI Guide

Melanie Plenda, a NEFAC advisor and director of the Granite State News Collaborative, speaks about Civic Documenters, a program she launched with the coalition that supports newsrooms in New Hampshire. WBUR investigative reporter and NEFAC advisor Todd Wallack discusses search warrant records in Massachusetts, how the public’s access to them can be limited, and why that’s a problem.

Guest Bios and Contact Information

• Melanie Plenda | melanie.plenda@collaborativenh.org
• Todd Wallack | twallack@bu.edu

Additional News and Resources

New Hampshire Civic Documenters

• Civic Documenters | NEFAC
• Introducing Civic Documenters: Empowering Communities to Strengthen Local News Coverage | NEFAC
• How Civic Documenters Empower Communities and Strengthen Local News Coverage (audio)
• Granite State News Collaborative

Massachusetts Search Warrant Records

• Improved Access to Search Warrant Records Needed in Massachusetts | NEFAC
• Boston Police Failed to Arrest ‘Serial Rapist' for Years Despite DNA Evidence | WBUR