In a press release, Society of Professional Journalists National President Sonny Albarado and SPJ Connecticut President Jodie Mozdzer Gil announced that they wrote to Gov. Dannel Malloy  to question "the state’s secrecy in creating a bill that would exempt any Sandy Hook massacre records from the state's open records law."

"SPJ stands against the decision to withhold public information" about the Newtown shootings, the release said/

"The letter was in response to a May 22 article by The Hartford Courant, which revealed that the governor’s office has been working secretly with legislative leaders and the state's top prosecutor to deny access to documents related to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six women died on Dec. 14." the release said. "Under the legislation, government officials could withhold death certificates of anyone who died at the school, unless the request is made by a member of the victim's spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling or legal guardian."

The release noted that Albarado and Gil wrote, “The Society condemns the creation of this legislation outside the normal, transparent process of public hearings and debate. And we deplore the attempt to use the tragic events of Dec. 14 as an excuse to close off access to records that are otherwise available to the public.”

Read the full letter below:

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For more information about SPJ, visit www.spj.org.

SPJ Secrecy Statement1