The Georgia First Amendment Foundation presented its annual Weltner Awards at a banquet Oct. 27 at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta. The foundation is a nonprofit dedicated celebrating "government transparency, accountability journalism and your right to know," according to an email promoting the banquet. The awards are named for the late Charles Weltner, who served as a Georgia Supreme Court justice and chief justice and the District 5 U.S. House of Representatives member. The Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award was given to the Cox family, which owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets, for its "commitment to local journalism and Georgians' right to know." Cox Enterprises Chairman and CEO Alex Taylor accepted the award on the company's behalf and gave the keynote speech. Jane Hansen, a former AJC investigative journalist and recently retired public information officer for the Supreme Court of Georgia, received the Open Government Hero award. For more information on the foundation, visit gfaf.org.