National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

Tag: government transparency

Government transparency job left vacant in Maryland

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When a Towson University student journalist asked for emails about how school officials dealt with allegations that someone had videotaped the swim team getting undressed, university officials asked him to pay more than $2,000 for the records request.

The student, Cody Boteler, asked to have the fees waived. When the university did not promptly respond, the senior wrote a scathing editorial in the Towerlight student publication, saying it was "asinine" to ask a student journalist to pay so much.

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OpenGov launches data insights tool

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California-based OpenGov has launched a new data insights tool that will work with its existing government transparency software and aims to provide government administrators with a clearer view into the whole organization. The new tool – OpenGov Intelligence enables administrators to discover, share, and compare data across departments and other governments.

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Transparency needed for S.C. body-worn cameras

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Unresponsive democratic governments fail.

One deadly feature of such governments is a lack of transparency. When leaders decided citizens didn’t need to know about the workings of government, citizens lost a lens to determine how responsive government was, often this created mistrust, which led to anger and eventually, rebellion.

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Michigan Legislature: Bills focus on roads, transparency

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Limits on transparency in government and the germs of plans to fund road improvements began emerging in bills introduced by members of the state House of Representatives and Senate last week.

One bill would exempt information about pipeline and energy infrastructure from Freedom of Information laws, while another would exempt certain state boards from Open Meetings Act requirements.

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Journalists Fight for Open Government in The Face Of Secrecy

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Transparency is inconvenient. It’s inconvenient for the reporter who’s trying to report the news and it’s inconvenient for the government that attempts to hide information.

“It is not unique for federal officials to go to great lengths to get around having to turn over documents or respond,” Sharyl Attkisson said during a keynote address last week at the University of Florida’s public information conference, “Breaking Down Walls: The Fight for Open Government.”

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Opinion: Legislature to be commended for seeking more improvements on state’s exemplary open-records laws

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In the typical legislative session, a lot of important work is quietly undertaken outside the glare of attention granted to those high-profile and politically charged issues that grab the lion’s share of news coverage. Such is the case with some meaningful changes to Utah’s records laws that will encourage greater government transparency.

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Open meetings laws don’t apply Tenn. transparency panel

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A panel of experts assembled to offer advice on transparency issues is not subject to the state’s open meetings law. At least that’s the opinion of Ann Butterworth, who heads the Comptroller’s Office of Open Records Counsel.

She made the finding in response to an email activist Ken Jakes’ request for more information about a recent teleconference held by the 14-member Advisory Committee on Open Government.

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Open meetings bill withdrawn in Wyoming House

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A legislative proposal that had concerned government transparency advocates has been withdrawn by the bill’s sponsor.

Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, pulled House Bill 232 Thursday morning right before it was about to be debated by the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee.

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