National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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Posts by NFOIC

New Mexico Attorney General Releases Opinion Defining Public’s Business

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In a significant opinion enforcing transparency and accountability, the office of the New Mexico Attorney General has resolved the issue of what constitutes the “public’s business,” as it pertains to the Inspection of Public Records Act. The opinion states that when the Office of the Medical Investigator acts as a contractor for tribal and federal […]

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CNN’s John King to speak to New England First Amendment Coalition

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The New England First Amendment Coalition presents a conversation with CNN Anchor and Chief National Correspondent John King at 7 p.m. Dec. 14. Please note: This online presentation is available at no cost exclusively to those in NEFAC’s Sustaining Membership program. Members can register for the event here. If you’re not a member you must join before registering. NEFAC’s Walter V. Robinson, […]

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Appeals Court hands journalists big Freedom of Information Act win for gun data access

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The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals says federal authorities must hand over database records just as if they were paper records in a file cabinet, in a case launched by five media outlets, Harvard Law’s Cyberlaw Clinic, and 16 data journalists, including Eye on Ohio. Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw wrote in a ruling released […]

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Is the Coronavirus Catalyzing New Civic Collaborations for Open Government?

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From Africa to Latin America to Europe, the coronavirus pandemic has generated a surge in public demand for government transparency and accountability. To seize this window for reform, elite and grassroots civic actors concerned with open governance must overcome the cleavage that has long existed between them. Thus far, the pandemic has catalyzed some new civic […]

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Through public records lawsuits, RCFP’s Local Legal Initiative seeks to improve Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law

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Attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are currently fighting in court to help Pennsylvania journalists gain access to records that should be released under the state’s Right to Know Law. If they’re successful, reporters from local news organizations will be able to access records that reveal a forensic audit of a […]

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Oakland County police departments to launch transparency websites

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Oakland County is assisting local police departments with creating websites that will feature public information involving traffic stops, citations, arrests, and use of force data on a more accessible platform.  The project is a partnership between the Oakland County Executive’s Office, the Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information Systems (CLEMIS), and Altovista Technology, who will build and maintain […]

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NFOIC’s latest research explores transparency in state and local economic development incentives

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The National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information are pleased to announce the publication of NFOIC’s latest research paper, “Invisible Incentives: How Secrecy Impedes Evaluation and Accountability of Economic Development Subsidies.”   Secrecy in economic development spending remains a big challenge for journalists and the public at every level of […]

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After 4 months York County (PA) won’t release public information; other counties did so in days

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The York Dispatch is in a legal battle with York County for information that Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records has stated is clearly a public record. The newspaper first requested basic information about prothonotary office employees — including names, pay rates, job titles and dates of hire — in late July. The York Dispatch sought the information from York County officials and […]

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How Cops Who Use Force and Even Kill Can Hide Their Names From the Public

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In January 2019, a Dollar Tree employee in Masaryktown, Florida, called 911 after a homeless man stole $70 of beer, wine, candy and cookies. A sheriff’s deputy had little trouble finding him — the man had passed out drunk in a nearby ditch with an open box of Reese’s Pieces. The deputy took the man […]

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Los Angeles County Violates Public Records Act, Citing COVID-19

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The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health violated state law by failing to honor two separate public records requests filed by the Los Feliz Ledger during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to those well-versed in the law.  Following a spate of coronavirus outbreaks at congregate living facilities, Ledger Publisher Allison B. Cohen filed a California […]

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