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

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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Record-Courier Editorial: New search for Kent State president must be public

The looming retirement of Kent State University President Beverly Warren impacts many people in many different ways.  Students wonder if their chosen school’s next leader will be as focused on their needs. Administrators surely are curious to see how well they mesh with the new president’s administrative style and priorities. And Kent community leaders and […]

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Ohio court official finds in favor of The Columbus Dispatch over Powell police in Zach Smith records case

Powell police will provide The Dispatch with records of 2015 domestic-violence complaints against former Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith after a special master for the Ohio Court of Claims found Tuesday that the records were improperly withheld. Police Chief Gary Vest said the department doesn’t plan to appeal the findings in the 40-page […]

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Ohioans will have a new alternative when trying to get public records

In little more than a month, Ohioans will have a new, cheap and quick appeals process to potentially leverage loose public records.

On Sept. 28, the Ohio Court of Claims will begin accepting complaints on the refusal to release records by government at all levels, from townships to the state. Continue…

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How an Ohio judge’s ruling threatens journalists’ ability to cover the court system

An attorney has a civil case that’s about to go to trial. He contacts a friend of his, the editor of a local publication, to encourage coverage of the case. The attorney shares public court records and information about the court schedule. The case is newsworthy, and on the eve of trial the editor’s publication runs a story that outlines the claims of the attorney’s clients.

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Ohio: Complaints of government fraud often kept confidential

Ohioans who want to check out their school district or city won't learn much from a fraud-complaint database maintained by Auditor Dave Yost.

Since lawmakers mandated the list — and limited, specified information — be placed online in 2012, the auditor's office has received nearly 2,500 complaints.  Continue…

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Editorial: Public shut out in Ohio

When Ohioans find their access to government thwarted and sue to assert their open-government rights, the odds are stacked against them in the Ohio Supreme Court.

So finds a recent analysis by the Ohio Coalition for Open Government in a report that examines 32 such cases between 2010 and this year. Of those cases, only 12 rulings favored open government. The remaining 20 decisions went the other way. Continue…

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