Toward a more informed citizenry...

Groups that work to protect the 1st Amendment and keep the public informed. Descriptions are as provided by the groups.

ASNE: The American Society of Newspaper Editors is a membership organization for editors and others who serve the editorial needs of daily newspapers. (This site includes links to other newspapers’ ethics guidelines as well.)

Californians Aware: The Center for Public Forum Rights. Supporting and defending open government, an inquiring press, and a citizenry free to exchange facts and opinions.

California First Amendment Coalition: Protecting and defending the public’s right to know.

Coalition of Journalists for Open Government: A “window on open government and freedom of information.” The group’s preamble: “Information empowers and energizes a democracy. The free flow of information serves to keep the process of government honest and robust. To ensure and maintain that integrity and vitality, the public’s need to know must be recognized and the individual’s right to know must be held paramount.”

Committee of Concerned Journalists: The group has created a national conversation among journalists about principles.

First Amendment Center:
Works to preserve and protect 1st Amendment freedoms through information and education. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.

Freedom Forum:  A nonpartisan, international foundation advocating free press and speech rights for all people.

Project for Excellence in Journalism: The State of the News Media: An annual report on American journalism.

Sunlight Foundation: “To use the transformative power of the Internet and new information technology to enable citizens to learn more about what Congress and their elected representatives are doing, and thus help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government, and foster public trust in the vital institutions of democracy.”
(includes a page for “'insanely useful Web sites' for government transparency.”)

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal assistance to journalists. The Reporters Committee also has emerged as a major national and international resource in free speech issues, disseminating information in a variety of forms.