The New England First Amendment Coalition is honoring the Hartford Courant for fighting to get records about the Sandy Hook school shooter unsealed.
NEFAC's Michael Donoghue Freedom of Information Award is presented annually to New England journalists who protect or advance the public's right to know under federal or state law.
The Courant will be honored at a Friday awards luncheon for its successful efforts to obtain information related to the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty first-graders and six teachers were killed.
NEFAC executive director Justin Silverman says the newspaper brought to light details about shooter Adam Lanza that had been hidden in documents that state police kept secret.
Last year, the Connecticut Supreme Court ordered more than 1,000 pages to be made public.
