News Release For Immediate Release – March 27, 2019 Contact: Daniel Bevarly, Executive Director National Freedom of Information Coalition dbevarly@nfoic.org 352-294-7082 Twelve winning research papers have been accepted to the first National Freedom of Information Coalition FOI research competition. The papers will be presented April 12, 2019, at the NFOIC National FOI Summit in […]
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The agency responsible for attracting business to Tennessee has worked behind the scenes to dismantle state legislation that could increase transparency and accountability for business grants and tax breaks. Officials from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, with the backing of Gov. Bill Lee, pushed to strip nearly every significant provision from the House […]
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – An event at CitySpace on Monday evening is working to prepare members of different boards and commissions in Charlottesville to better understand certain legislation. The public forum on Monday, March 25, was meant to teach people about the Freedom of Information Act in Virginia. Organizers say it’s important to foster a “spirit […]
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DES MOINES, Iowa — The ACLU of Iowa on Monday announced that it filed an appeal to a state board’s ruling last month declaring police department body camera, dash camera, 911 calls and other records can be kept confidential—and remain private after an investigation is over. The appeal targets a February ruling by the Iowa Public […]
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For Immediate Release – March 27, 2019 Contact: Daniel Bevarly, Executive Director National Freedom of Information Coalition dbevarly@nfoic.org 352-294-7082 Four state open government champions to be inducted into the National Freedom of Information Coalition’s Open Government Hall of Fame Four “Heroes of the 50 States” — representing California, Georgia, South Dakota and […]
Sarah Terrell was surprised to learn in 2016 that her son’s Houston high school was being renamed. In the span of one October week, it was announced — and then made official — that the High School for Performing and Visual Arts would now be called HSPVA Kinder, in honor of a local foundation that […]
A bill package that would expand some open records requests to include the executive branch passed through a House committee last week and is likely to receive support in the Legislature and from the governor. Legislators hope the bills will improve Michigan’s poor standing among other states in transparency. “They are very likely to pass,” […]
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VALDOSTA — If you do the crime, you pay the fine. Violators of Georgia’s open records and open meetings laws can face fines in civil court, although other avenues for remedy can be used, according to Jennifer Colangelo, Georgia’s assistant Attorney General. Georgia code states that penalties for “failing or refusing to provide access to […]
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Journalists at The Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail pore over information every day to report what’s happening in the Upstate of South Carolina. Sometimes the information is easy to access. Jail logs, court filings and property records often help. But sometimes vital information is hidden away, withheld from the public, and the state’s Freedom of Information Act […]
I suspect in a lot of newsrooms there’s a good bit of groaning as Sunshine Week nears. We know the message is important — open government is the cornerstone of democracy — but how do you build a captivating news story out of that? In late 2009, after the umpteenth time I had banged my […]
Read More… from Sunshine Week shines: Here’s a journalism win that’s had a lasting impact
