We believe government secrecy has become too routine, rather than the absolute last resort it should be. Reporters and editors love to complain about government secrecy. Closed meetings and redacted documents make it harder for us to do our jobs. Even when the law is on our side, too many agencies and officials stonewall. We hope […]
Read More… from OUR VIEW: What should top priority be for government? Answer is easy
When I’ve written about Alabama’s worst-in-the-nation open records law, I’ve emphasized that access to those documents is not a media privilege. The right to inspect public records and take copies upon request is supposed to be guaranteed for all citizens. It’s for everybody. But many of the requests that get denied or ignored are media requests […]
A York County judge has called out county solicitors’ practice of withholding material from the state Office of Open Records during Right-to-Know Law disputes, calling it a “disturbing trend.” Common Pleas Judge Richard K. Renn last month denied a portion of York County’s request to overturn an OOR ruling that ordered the county to provide documents to an attorney […]
The Georgia General Assembly is considering changing some of the rules that govern the state’s hospitals. Specifically, lawmakers are looking at requirements for hospitals which operate under a Certificate of Need that directly relate to the public’s right to know. The public has a real and genuine interest in medical centers, hospitals and health care […]
Read More… from ZACHARY: Lawmakers must not conceal hospital finances
A new bill being heard in the Colorado Senate may increase the media and public’s access to police communication. The bill, Radio Communications Policies Of Gov Entities, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Van Winkle and Rep. Jovan Melton, is being heard on March 4, which is the third time a bill of this nature has been heard. […]
Read More… from Bill may increase media, public access to police communication
MONTGOMERY — An Alabama lawmaker wants the state’s more than 100 licensing boards, the groups that regulate professionals from contractors to medical personnel, to provide public accountings of their revenue and spending, which he said is millions of dollars a year. A separate bill would require regular audits of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. […]
Read More… from Bills seek financial transparency from licensing boards, AHSAA
City of Tacoma department heads will get court-ordered public records training after a recent ruling in a lawsuit against the city. Public records activist Arthur West sued the city in 2016, arguing that it failed to provide records related to Puget Sound Energy’s planned liquefied natural gas plant on the Tacoma Tideflats. Judge Frank Cuthbertson ordered […]
In the basement of Worcester City Hall, behind a heavy locked door embellished with the name of the Mosler Safe Co., Hamilton, Ohio, lies a multiroom trove of records chronicling the births, marriages, deaths, businesses and local government actions of Worcester’s citizens dating to 1686. City Clerk Susan M. Ledoux said she’s probably touched every […]
Read More… from Concerns raised about gov’s proposed limits on access to vital documents
In an effort to promote transparency in the Oklahoma Legislature, a state representative has introduced a bill that would required the House of Representatives and the Senate to follow the Open Meetings Act. The Oklahoma Open Meetings Act requires that all meetings of public bodies be open to the public and that the public must […]
Read More… from Locals and lawmakers in favor of more transparency
In a win for right-to-know advocates, the public and journalists, the state Freedom of Information Commission has ruled the state police broke open record laws when the agency denied a request by the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury for dash and body camera footage of a high-speed chase and then refused to acknowledge for a time […]
