From Dennis Hetzel, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association: For numerous reasons that should be obvious to ONA Bulletin readers, we think it is important to find ways to raise the profile of the Ohio Coalition for Open Government, which is a non-profit group under the umbrella of our Ohio Newspapers Foundation.
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Read More… from Ohio Coalition for Open Government is on the move
From Cleveland.com: Government in Ohio is supposed to conduct business for the people in public, but several measures being considered by the General Assembly would dim the spotlight that keeps public officials’ actions illuminated.
One open government advocate estimates that lawmakers have proposed at least 10 measures that would affect Ohioans’ ability to keep watch on their government.
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Read More… from Changes pending could reduce Ohioans’ access to public records and meetings
From the Ohio Coalition for Open Government: The Ohio Newspaper Association has begun pushing four suggestions to improve Ohio’s open records laws.
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From The Columbus Dispatch: The latest effort by state lawmakers to close public records in Ohio would eliminate the ability for journalists to view concealed-handgun-license records.
Sen. Joseph Uecker, R-Loveland, said other states are moving toward closing off access to concealed-carry-license information. Journalists currently are the only members of the public with any ability to view the records in Ohio.
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From Athens News: A thorny dispute over Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly’s allegedly improper disposal of county records continues to evolve on a daily basis.
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Read More… from State cop transfers disputed records as part of sheriff probe
Opinion from Ohio Newspaper Association:
One of the major concerns we have had with Ohio’s open meetings law is that it leaves a lot of wiggle-room for public bodies to be overly vague and even evasive about the reasons why they go into executive sessions.
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Read More… from A good bill on open meetings; a bad bill on gun records
From CantonRep.com:
Last week, we celebrated Sunshine Week, the annual observance of the importance of access to public information and what it means to you and our community.
We published several guest columns from representatives of various media organizations around the country and our state. Each one spelled out why public records belong to you, the taxpayer.
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Read More… from Therese D. Hayt: Ohio’s public records law is facing new restrictions
From Vindy.com:
This week was “Sunshine Week” in Ohio, that time of year when state officials remind the populace of the importance of public records and open meetings and journalists remind the same of the continued erosion of such public access.
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From The Columbus Dispatch:
In celebration of Sunshine Week, here’s a primer on making public-records requests in Ohio. It’s your government, your money, your records. Government merely is the custodian of the people’s records — not the owner.
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Read More… from A public-records primer: How to make a request
From BucyrusTelegraphForum.com:
Ohio’s once-model law on open public records and meetings has taken a few hits from added exemptions and ambiguity surrounding public-private partnerships and social media.
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Read More… from Ambiguity, exemptions chip away at Ohio’s once-model public records law
