National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

Author: NFOIC

Profile picture of NFOIC
Website
https://nfoic.org

Posts by NFOIC

FOIA reform passes! Now what’s actually in it?

Posted on

When we kicked off Sunshine Week, we noted that FOIA reform — already passed by the House — was being considered by the Senate.

Now, with some important modifications, it has passed the Senate, so let's take a look at what will change for requesters.

The first thing to know is that the FOIA reform that passed the House and Senate is actually two different bills, S.337 and H.R.653. Continue…

[…]

Read More… from FOIA reform passes! Now what’s actually in it?

Editorial: Three FOI successes to celebrate during Sunshine Week

Posted on

It’s easy during Sunshine Week, the national effort to promote awareness of open-government issues, to feel exasperated by the many recent and ongoing attempts to shield public information from public view.

State lawmakers tried to kill a program that helps citizens resolve FOI disputes. States are keeping secret their execution protocols. A police chief prohibited a citizen from photographing public records as he reviewed them. The list is long, and I even wrote in January that government secrecy was the most serious threat last year to a free press in the US.

[…]

Read More… from Editorial: Three FOI successes to celebrate during Sunshine Week

US government sets record for failures to find files when asked

Posted on

The Obama administration set a record for the number of times its federal employees told disappointed citizens, journalists and others that despite searching they couldn't find a single page requested under the Freedom of Information Act, according to a new Associated Press analysis of government data.

[…]

Read More… from US government sets record for failures to find files when asked

Editorial: Sunshine laws help answer big questions

Posted on

Is Wisconsin tough on doctors who make big mistakes, costing people their lives? No.

Is soil at the former Royster-Clark plant on Madison’s East Side still contaminated? Yes.

Was a Waupun prison guard suspended for making a lynching joke about President Barack Obama? Yes. '

Was a UW-Madison football player really acting in self-defense — as the athletic department contended — during a fight last fall at his off-campus residence? No. (He actually threw the first punch.)

[…]

Read More… from Editorial: Sunshine laws help answer big questions

First Amendment Foundation, Poynter Institute launch the ‘Sunshine Certificate’

Posted on

To commemorate Sunshine Week and the National Freedom of Information Day, the First Amendment Foundation and The Poynter Institute have launched a new online “Sunshine Certificate” to help educate elected officials, attorneys, journalists and citizens on open government laws.

The online “Sunshine Certificate” programs combine the best of the First Amendment Foundation’s training with the flexibility of online learning. Florida public officials, attorneys, journalists and citizens are able to choose the training that meets their needs.

[…]

Read More… from First Amendment Foundation, Poynter Institute launch the ‘Sunshine Certificate’

Editorial: Let the sun shine on public meetings and records

Posted on

In various locales around Missouri, government officials have engaged in wanton violations of the state’s Sunshine Law either through carelessness or willful defiance. Whatever the excuse, there is no excuse.

The public has a right to know how decisions are made and taxpayer dollars are spent. Keeping tabs on officials becomes much harder when they cloak their activities in secrecy. The denial of public access serves as an open invitation for corrupt practices and mischief.

[…]

Read More… from Editorial: Let the sun shine on public meetings and records

New Jersey’s public records fights prove costly

Posted on

New Jersey taxpayers are on the hook for more than $1 million for the state’s failed attempts to keep records secret over the last four years, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

The information, obtained through the state’s Open Public Records Act, shows that the state paid out $1,076,013 in taxpayer money reimbursing plaintiffs’ lawyers fees in 54 cases from January 2012 through March 4.

[…]

Read More… from New Jersey’s public records fights prove costly

Poynter: Here are 13 of the best open-records stories so far this year

Posted on

In honor of Sunshine Week, investigative reporter Kelly Hinchcliffe asked fellow journalists on Twitter to share their favorite open government stories from around the country.

Here are some of their top picks along with a few of her favorites, including a story she worked on with several news organizations in North Carolina.

[…]

Read More… from Poynter: Here are 13 of the best open-records stories so far this year

South Carolina Senate panel OKs bill requiring faster FOIA responses

Posted on

A South Carolina bill that would force public bodies to respond more quickly to state Freedom of Information Act requests is headed to the Senate floor after approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The 17-1 vote for a favorable report on the bill comes after years of attempts by lawmakers to reach agreement on changes to the law governing access to public records in the state.

[…]

Read More… from South Carolina Senate panel OKs bill requiring faster FOIA responses