National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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NFOIC: With cybersecurity hot, now is the time to open government

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Commentary: Opening data to the public isn’t at odds with cybersecurity, but supports it, says the executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. With governments focused today on tighter security measures surrounding sensitive data, now is an opportune time to adopt reforms that also remove obstacles to open public records and improve access. […]

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Editorial: Fix problems in (Oregon) public records law

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Request public records in Oregon and you can get: • Sued by the agency you requested the records from. • Slapped with thousands of dollars in charges to get access to what is supposed to be public. • Nothing. Government bodies can simply ignore your request or otherwise act in bad faith without fear of […]

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NFOIC Freedom of Information Paper Competition Call – new!

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News Release  December 3, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Daniel Bevarly · 352.294.7082 · dbevartly@nfoic.org   NFOIC Freedom of Information Paper Competition Call – new! Do you have research in freedom of information (FOI) that will make a difference? Then submit your proposal to the National Freedom of Information Coalition’s first research paper competition for […]

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Gotham Gazette Opinion: A Simple First Step to Help the (NY) MTA Re-Establish Credibility

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is teetering on financial collapse and still struggling to overcome a meltdown in subway service and collapse in bus ridership. No one doubts that the MTA has serious problems and riders are suffering. But before the State Legislature approves tens of billions of new funding, the MTA needs to show […]

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Editorial: Cities must be open about data collection, data itself

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Have you heard about “smart cities”? The idea that cities can make innovative use of data, algorithms and automation to improve services has been around for a while, but it seems to be gaining traction. Earlier this year, City Journal magazine described the “glowing futuristic predictions” in the steadily increasing number of news articles about the smart-cities […]

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New NFOIC White Paper looks at the rising issue of “burdensome” public record requests

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  News Release December 3, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Daniel Bevarly  (352) 294-7082 · dbevarly@nfoic.org   NFOIC White Paper: “Beast or Burden: Nuisance, vexatious, or burdensome  public records requests” A growing concern among news organizations and open government advocates is the labeling of a certain type of public records request as vexatious, unduly burdensome, […]

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Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s top staffers used private email accounts to talk head-tax strategy

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Four of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s staffers used private email accounts when planning with political consultants what to do immediately after the City Council reversed course on a controversial business head tax to raise money for housing and homelessness services, according to records released Friday to The Seattle Times. The June 11 messages — shared via Gmail […]

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Hill open government ‘hero’ recognized

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Chestnut Hill resident Terry Mutchler, an AP award-winning journalist and the founding executive director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records, is being inducted into the Open Government Hall of Fame, which recognizes long-term contributions of individuals to open government in their respective states. Mutchler is an experienced trial attorney who was appointed by former Pennsylvania […]

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In 2019, Another Chance to Fix the Texas Public Information Act

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It’s been three years since Enrique Iglesias walked away from the Rio Grande Valley holding a proverbial sack full of taxpayer cash. He got the money in 2015 for crooning in the city of McAllen’s annual holiday concert and parade, a boondoggle that saw taxpayers losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. City officials still refuse to tell […]

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Evans County (GA) BOE Emails Permanently Deleted

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llOnGeorgia filed an Open Records Request in late June seeking the personnel file of former employee Sharon Threatte, documentation on employee salaries at the district office, and emails related to the pay of Sharon Threatte and the pay classification of district office employees. Superintendent Martin Waters quoted more than $11,000 in fees for said records […]

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