Arizona journalists who want to know the latest on First Amendment, freedom-of-information, public records/open meetings or other access-to-government issues as they relate to journalism in the Grand Canyon State should visit arizonafoi.com, the website of the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona.

The coalition is a consortium of the state’s media and open-government-minded individuals and organizations. The Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter is a charter member of the coalition, which was founded in 1981 and maintains a free hotline for professional and student journalists to call to speak to a media-law attorney from the Phoenix office of Perkins Coie, P.A., who can advise them on their efforts to gain access to government via public documents and public meetings.

Visit arizonafoi.com to keep up on the issues as well as the coalition’s efforts to support media and public access to government though the exercise of the freedom of information.