Recent FOI Advocate posts
The Board of Directors of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced today the appointment of its next Executive Director, Gwyneth Doland. Doland, a journalist and longtime Albuquerque resident, will take the helm of the statewide non-profit organization Feb. 20.
Over the long term, providing greater access to raw information — including census tallies, government expenditures, poverty statistics, draft budgets, agricultural data, and government procurement — could make the delivery of public goods far more efficient and effective, lower levels of corruption, and engage citizens in the running of their societies in profoundly new ways.
From NFOIC's FOI Friday: South Dakota GOP official joins with Democrats to support open government … A hard look at what open government means for the Department of Energy … Under Obama, the Freedom of Information Act still in shackles … Audit raises safety concerns about Atlanta transit system … Immigration authorities locked 13,000 in limbo … Michael Moore joins Partnership for Civil Justice Fund in FOIA request … No extra part-timer to handle FOIA requests in Roscoe, IL …
Florida’s Legislature will undertake bills this year that will make it easier for individuals to speak at government meetings and define record-keeping for newly elected officials. All in all, it is not a bad session,” said Barbara Petersen, director of the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee.
More open government updates
The latest FOI and open government updates are streamed in Twitter feeds below.
Freedom of Information Summits
Be sure to catch up on all the news, panels, participants and attendees from recent FOI Summits.
Knight FOI Fund Press
The Knight FOI Fund exists to offer financial support in open government lawsuits. It was established to fuel and assist the pursuit of important FOI cases by helping to defray upfront costs such as filing fees, depositions, court costs and other expenses associated with legal actions. Read all about the Knight FOI Fund here.
Freedom of Information LISTSERV
FOI-L is a mailing list discussion on the Internet, run out of Syracuse University for NFOIC. Join in the discussion about access to public records, closure of governmental meetings, trends in legislation, and other issues about the public's access to government records and meetings.
2011 Hero of the 50 States
NFOIC and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) selected John R. Finnegan Sr., former executive editor and assistant publisher of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, for their joint Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame award for 2011.
Sunshine Week at Work in the States
See reports and activities from the 2011 Sunshine Week, including a great new iPhone app, iOpenGov, brought to you by our friends and NFOIC member coalition, First Amendment Coalition.