Georgia First Amendment Foundation

09/17/2026

AJC OPINION: Georgia’s attorney general must aggressively pursue open-government violations. Check out the op-ed from Georgia First Amendment Foundation board member Shawn McIntosh. The takeaway: Voters deserve to know whether a new AG will enforce the public's right to know.

The Georgia General Assembly gave the attorney general great authority to pursue open-government violations, but not all AGs have used their power aggressively for citizens.

09/04/2026

“We’re in a time where the First Amendment is very much under challenge and access to government is under challenge, and when that happens, the public loses..." on the critical service the UGA 1st Amendment Clinic provides.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation will honor the UGA First Amendment Clinic and Bill Rankin at its 2026 Weltner Banquet on Oct. 28.

09/04/2026

Help us recognize the essential work of the staff of the UGA First Amendment Clinic as our Open Government Hero award honoree Oct. 28 at our Weltner Award Banquet. https://gfaf.org/2026/08/uga-1st-amendment-clinic-staff-and-students-to-be-recognized-as-open-government-heroes/

09/02/2026

Join us Oct. 28 at our Weltner FOI Banquet to celebrate Bill Rankin, whose print and podcast stories educated the public on the importance of transparency in Georgia’s courtrooms and criminal justice systems. READ MORE:

The timeline just didn’t make sense to Bill Rankin. He was reporting on the investigation into Richard Jewell, a security guard suspected of single handedly orchestrating the July 17, 1996, Centennial Olympic Park bombing.  A few days after the bombing, which led to the deaths of two people and t...

09/01/2026

Join us Oct. 28 2026 at our Weltner Banquet when we'll honor journalist Bill Rankin, whose stories educated the public on the importance of transparency in Georgia’s courtrooms. Register: bit.ly/Weltner2026

08/09/2026

"Still, the days leading up to the agency’s formal approval illustrate the lack of transparency and mistrust over whether the county is calling the shots, or the California-based tech firm is."

Georgia Power brokered it. OpenAI and Effingham County officials negotiated in secret. Here's how they kept the $20 billion data center deal out of the public eye.

07/22/2026

"Now, following countless battles between residents and their city government, the public wants to know how city council and the city manager determined that a newly established Maryland organization was the best choice to market College Park."

Read College Park transparency questions rile city attorney by Adrianne Murchison for SaportaReport here.

07/16/2026

“Study after study has shown that local homegrown reporting is essential to democracy" - the foundation's Nora Benevidez on new Georgia nonprofit newsrooms.

While some Georgia newsrooms are shrinking or closing down, two of the state’s largest local publications are being reimagined as nonprofit newsrooms. The Georgia Trust for Local News announced Wednesday that they have acquired the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and the Macon Telegraph to join its growi...

07/11/2026

"Earlier this week, the Hepzibah City Commission closed its meeting to consider housing standards to all but 30 people." They had a good option to let the crowd in. Via The Augusta Press

Sometimes local governments just make us scratch our heads in befuddlement. How is it possible that anyone serving as an elected or appointed government official doesn’t understand the legal requirements of their jobs?

07/02/2026

The foundation's Richard T. Griffiths said the College Park City Council's decision to hold a meeting so far from home "cloaks" transparency and "shows a complete disrespect for the citizens of College Park."

Read Concerned about city transparency, 15 residents drive to Savannah for unusual College Park council meeting by Adrianne Murchison for SaportaReport here.