We've included a special category for Sunshine Week, 2006 to give you an idea of how the media in various states related information access issues to their readers. Many of those stories, of course, could be replicated in other places at other times. Government secrecy efforts and information access problems are rarely unique.
|
|
|
Provo Herald Rates Usefulnesss of Government Meeting Agendas
The Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, conducted a different kind of open government audit, critiquing the agendas of local governments for their effectiveness in letting citizens know the official business at hand. It said the audit was prompted by continuing complaints of residents that the governments do a poor job of communicating. (1/2/08)
San Diego Law Enforcement Agencies Still Fall Short on Records Law
The majority of San Diego area law enforcement agencies still do meet basic requirements of California public records law, according to an audit organized by Californians Aware, an open government advocacy group. Auditors were frequently unable to get crime report information that is public record under state law in visits to 12 law enforcement agencies. A few of the departments showed improved performance from a similar audit in December 2006. (11/29/07)
A Look at Information Access Via Government Websites
Online citizen access to government information is growing in cities and towns in Massachusetts. Common Cause honored 73 cities and towns for their e-government efforts in posting key records and meeting information on their websites. At the time the advocacy group launched its open government project last year, only 24 communities posted basic documents online. (3/29/07)
Checking Out How Agencies in Fredericksburg Handle E-Mails
The Fredericksburg, VA Free Lance Star surveyed the handling of official e-mails by local governments and found that most leave it up to individual officials to preserve them as public records as the law provides. Fredericksburg was the only local government that had an archiving system. One, to alert officials that e-mails are public, advised in a memo: "Treat every E-mail message as something that could end up on the front page of the Free Lance Star.” (7/18/06)
Request for E-Mails Largely Draws Blanks
The Evening Observer in Dunkirk, NY audited eight area municipalities and found only two complied with the state’s Freedom of Information Law. The paper soughte-mails send by city employees. Several of the towns said they clear their computers weekly and so did not have any documents for the week requested. (11/29/06)
A Tale of Two Schools and Records Law Compliance
The Canton, Oh., Repository tested the public records law compliance of a local public school and a privately run charter school, seeking basic information on teachers, expenses and legal bills. It took the charter school about a month longer to respond, perhaps because they first sent the request to their attorney for guidance. The charter school also provided somewhat less information. (6/5/06)
The Associated Press Anchors a 700-Agency Records Audit
The Associated Press anchored a massive, 51-news-organization public records audit of 700 state and local government agencies in Pennsylvania, producing a comprehensive five-part series. One story noted that agencies will often give records to reporters they won’t give citizens, despite a law to the contrary. Others focused separately on often untrained records custodians and on police and the courts, the latter often untested in state and local records audits. (5/31/05)
Tulsa World Audits State University Records Law Compliance
Area universities and colleges vary in their compliance with Oklahoma's open-records law. the Tulsa World said in reporting on an audit of the schools’ performance. The paper said the time it took for the schools to respond to a series of requests ranged from a few days to nearly two months to fill requests. Some records were withheld. (8/7/06)
Bucks County, PA: Localizing a State Records Audit
The Bucks County Courier Times, spun a Pennsylvania-wide records audit with other newspapers into a three-day report on the 27 cities and police departments, 14 judicial offices and 10 school districts in their circulation area, complete with a chart that provided at-a-glance results for each. Sidebars explained the law related to each records request and provides tips to anyone seeking public records.
Your Right to Know? Please Wait, Thank You
Walk into one of the 32 towns served by the Westchester NY News Journal with a simple public records request and you might walk right out with the information -- or wait hours, or months, “assuming you get past an aide at the front desk who may tell you that the information doesn't exist, even when it does.” The paper audited the public records law compliance of the three county area with very mixed results but a superb package of more than a dozen stories on “Your Right to Know” that prompted several area legislators to promise to go back to Albany and seek tougher compliance measures. (3/23/05)
Across Oregon, Requests Were Met With Suspicion
Project Open Oregon, organized by the Associated Press Newspaper Executives and by the Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, turned up different in interpretations of state law, and a variety of practices aimed at discouraging requestors. Auditors sent out by local newspapers were wrongly asked for identification, questioned about their motives, told the records were unavailable, warned there could be a significant cost or asked to fill out detailed forms.
Florida, California FOI Audits Produce Similar Results
Newspapers on both coasts conducted public records law compliance audits in anticipation and found similar responses. Newspapers in Florida sent reporters to 268 local and county agencies and to four state agencies and found that 42 per cent failed to follow the law in some manner. In California, the Ventura County Star sent 33 reporters to 51 agencies – city and county halls, police and sheriff’s departments, school boards, regional authority offices – and said that 40 percent All told, 91 documents were requested of 51 agencies. About 40 percent of those agencies either denied the records request outright or made demands that violated the law.
Return Visits in Iowa Show Some Progress, Many Problems
Fifteen Iowa newspapers and a Drake University journalism class checked the public records law compliance of city, school and police offices in an audit that replicated a study five years ago. The State of Secrecy project found both improvement and continuing problems – and a few anomalies: a copy of an incident report in Des Moines cost $15; the same record in a nearby town 15 cents. The Des Moines Register report on the project also provided excellent graphics. (3/23/05)
Mississippi Newspapers Explore the Secrecy of the State
The Associated Press, the Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information and newspapers across the state joined to publish an eight-day series of stories, Mississippi, the Secret State, focusing on open government problems. It notes that the state received a failing grade in a 2007 study by the Better Government Association and the National Freedom of Information Coalition. The reports included a look at records and open meeting law enforcement and exemptions. (2/14/08)
Tennessee's Open Adoption Records Law Working Well, Paper Reports
The Chattanooga Times Free Press explored Tennessee’s 1995 adoption records law which permits adoptees access to birth records when they turn 21. The report concludes that the system works well because of sensible protections build into the process, such as not allowing adoptees to directly contact a birth parent. (11/27/07)
Governor's E-Mail Controversy Prompts a Local Review
Spinning off the controversy over the purging of e-mails by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt’s staff, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch surveyed area governments on their e-mail policies. The paper found no uniformity and many jurisdictions taking a second look. Many had only informal rules on the preservation of e-mails. (9/25/07)
Exploring the E-Mail Issue at Home and Across the Country
As the Alabama legislature begins to look at proposed legislation updating its public records laws, the Decatur Daily took a look at the knottiest issue involved -- public access to e-mails of officials. It also reviewed what other states are doing. (3/5/07)
The State of the States and A Disturbing Look at FOIA
The Associated Press took a look at six years of federal agency performance in responding to Freedom of Information Act requests and also surveyed the state of open government actions in the several states. Neither report gives open government advocates much to cheer about.
Answering Readers Questions About Open Government
Fredericksburg Freelance Star editor Dick Hammerstrom, chair of the state press association’s Freedom of Information Committee, takes reader questions on open government issues. Here’s a recent conversation, reflecting a range of questions from the most basic to some that read like they came from insiders. (1/5/07)
Uncovering the Stories Buried in Secret Court Files
The Seattle Times has uncovered hundreds of improperly sealed court files and its reporting of the cases involved revealed medical and legal malpractice, workplace safety issues, and teacher abuse of children. Editor Mike Fancher reflected on the stories the court secrecy investigation has turned up. (10/31/06)
A Weekly Report to the Public on Using Its Records
The Wichita Eagle runs a short report each Monday on government records available to the public. The report explains the usefulness of the record to the citizen and tells readers where to obtain the record and the cost. (10/31/06)
Getting Candidates Committed on Open Government
The Boston Herald asked candidates for governor what they’ll do to promote openness in government. The response from two was the usual political pablum but incumbent Attorney General Tom Reilly offered four specific proposals, including an online database of state contract and grant information, another online site allowing citizens to search and comment on regulations, and a third posting legislative information including bills, hearing testimony, committee action and voting records. (9/18/06)
Milwaukee Report Focuses on AG's FOI Role and Candidates' Views
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, noting that the outgoing attorney general has played a critical role in fostering open government, reported that the candidates in the November general election have been largely silent on keeping records and meetings open. The report surveys the positions of the two candidates and the reservations of open government advocates about their commitments. (10/3/06)
A Primer on the Cost of Copying Records
There are many impediments put up to block access public records. Cost is one of them. The Colorado Springs Gazette provided a primer on the fee practices of different government agencies, reflecting policies that both encouraged and discouraged access. The county property assessor doesn’t charge individuals for information on their own homes. The city charges 50 cents a page for copying – 75 cents less than state law allows. But the police department collects $10 for each incident report – up to 15 pages. Then it’s a dollar for each additional page.
Exploring the Open Meetings Split Among Council Members
To most citizens, the way their elected officials conduct the public’s business is a mystery, often kept ever more that way by private meetings that may or may not comply with state law. Ben Frumin, of the North County Times in Oceanside, CA, captured the scene and the substance of an open meetings split among council members in a report that explored the conflict between one newly elected councilwoman who wondered, “What’s the big secret,” and others who think secrecy is in the town’s best interest. (9/6/05)
Survey of Land Purchase Practices Shows Great Variation
When elected boards in two Atlanta-area counties approved land purchases in secret votes, the Georgia attorney general called the actions “specious” and in violation of state law. But no action was taken. The Atlanta Journal Constitution surveyed neighboring counties and found a variety of practices and varying degrees of openness. All other boards conducted their final voting in public, but had various ways of disguising or holding back on information during negotiations. The comparisons provided solid insights for reader-voters in each of the jurisdictions. (8/29/05)
Out of Scandal, a Progressive Law
The Texas Public Records Law is considered one of the best in the country. Sen. John Cornyn, a former state attorney general, is using it as a model for reforms he’s proposing in the U.S Freedom of Information Act. But it was a law born of scandal, The Austin American Statesman reported, retelling the tale of a stock fraud scheme that sucked in dozens of state legislators. The package included a look at the current law and pending changes, and a look at the practices of a number of local agencies. (3/23/05)
Public Records Becoming Less Public
More federal documents are being classified, fewer declassified. More people are making FOIA requests, fewer are being fully granted. And many federal agencies are taking still longer to grant requests, the Baltimore Sun reported in telling the stories of several advocacy groups that regularly use public records to make their cases on public policy questions. The paper also looked at how citizens groups are faring with their state records requests. (3/23/05)
Reporters Aren't the Only Ones Who Use Public Records
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution told its readers what we all know: “Reporters aren't the only ones who use Open Records laws to find out what their government is or isn't doing.” Then it proceeded to tell that story with a series of vignettes of Georgians who have used public records to counter school violence, real estate fraud, and monitor environmental hazards. Sidebars:
• Detailed the public records law.
• Provided a list of resources and experts citizens could call on.
• Identified and phone numbers for key state officials.
• Reviewed open records bills currently before the legislature.
• Summarized 10 stories reported during the previous year and explained how public records played an important role in making each of the reports possible.
• A timeline for a citizen’s zoning/development fight, starting with the developer’s filing plans to the district court hearing, with sections on “what’s on the record” and “what you can do” at every step.
TimeLine on a Battle for Records
The Coos Bay, Oregon World fought a half year battle over public records in a high profile child abuse case, with limited success. When they finally did get some heavily redacted records, they provided readers with a detailed timeline of their efforts to obtain information. (11/29/05)
The Delaware Legislature: Secretive, Insider-dominated
The Wilmington News Journal’s J.L. Miller and Patrick Jackson took at Delaware’s lawmaking and how the legislature’s historic self-exemption from the state’s Freedom of Information Act allows committee chairman to kill a bill they don’t personally like by locking it in a desk drawer. The report includes a list of bills now likely to find much sunlight and a guide to what’s open and closed in Delaware government. (1/11/06)
FOIA Report Prompts CBS to Poll Its Own Reporters
As the Associated Press reported on a Congressional hearing on the Freedom of Information Act and a Government Accountability Office Report on deteriorating agency performance, CBS asked its reporters about their experiences trying to use the law. The network’s website then offered several of the accounts as supplemental insights to the news report. (7/31/06)
Florida Court Clerks Struggle With Privacy Data in Public Records
Court clerks in Florida are struggling to redact personal information from court records, prompting the Legislature to extend a deadline to have the information purged, the Miami Herald reported. However the paper noted in a special report on the privacy issue that social security numbers for several leading sports figures and the newspaper’s publisher are currently available in mortgage records online. (8/28/06)
Records Check Sprinkles a Little Rain on Contributions Parade
A check of the public records by the Cleveland Plain Dealer found a number of questionable campaign contributions to a city council candidate, including one from a liquor store owner who insisted the money was for a Cinco de Mayo parade the councilman didn’t assist in any way. (5/5/08)
Sidewalk Strolls Can Be Expensive
That stroll down the sidewalk is costly, to the city of Flint, MI, anyway. The Flint Journal used the Freedom of Information Act to gather information on injuries and claims of defective sidewalks since 1999. Although individual claims are small, the total came to $1.3 million. (3/24/08)
Checking the Records of All Those Little Special Taxing Districts
Newsday pulled the records of the scores of special taxing districts in the Long Island area, showing how they spend some 473 million with little or no public scrutiny. Among findings: One water district has 20 employees and 30 vehicles. Many board members collect per diem payments of up to $100 for attending meetings and doing paperwork
(12/11/07)
Old Letters Reveal Story of an Exotic Animal Hunt, Abandoned Museum Project
The Sacramento Bee used letters retrieved from storage through a public records request to tell the bizarre story behind an abandoned natural history museum project. The letters showed how Sacramento State University helped a wealthy couple supporting the museum get permission to hunt exotic, and in some cases endangered, species in Tanzania. (9/24/07)
Telling the Story Behind the Links to Public Records
The Salt Lake Tribune is one of many newspapers using their websites to link readers to the growing cache of public records available online. This column by reader advocate Connie Coyne provided the story behind the project and outlined some of the problems in getting access to the public information. (9/24/07)
Watchdog Column Links Readers to Where Records Are Posted
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Citizen Watchdog presented a fully linked guide to public records, from the state meetings and records laws to the federal Freedom of Information Act to laws on lobbying and campaign contributions to the wide range of information available from the courts. (8/9/07)
Citizen Primer on Tracking Legislative Actions
With the opening of the Texas legislature, the Dallas Morning News’ Citizen Watchdog Jennifer LaFleur offered an online guide to tracking legislation and legislative actions. It includes links to information services provided by the state to track legislation and to check on who’s contributing to legislators. (3/29/07)
Comparing Crime Statistics and New Hiring Data Shows No Impact
The Anderson Independent used the state’s Freedom of Information Act to gather data on both staffing in the Sheriff’s Office and crime data. The result: a report showing that the sheriff has increased staff by nearly 40 percent since January 2005 while crime has continued to increase despite the larger force. (4/2/07)
FOIA Provided Records That Explained Ex-Mayor's Indictment
The Fairbanks News-Miner filed a series of FOIA requests over more than a year to get critical background information to the story behind the indictment of a former mayor for fraud in obtaining federal funds to run a social services center. The documents ultimately helped produce a four part series. (3/26/07)
Agency's Missing Laptop Count Far Higher, FOIA Request Shows
The number of laptops missing or stolen from federal agencies far exceeds the 60 reported by the Defense Department, according to records WTOP obtained through a FOIA request. The records showed 319 missing or stolen from NOAA and 240 from the Department of Interior, and 60 from EPA. (1/10/07).
Many Schools Not Reporting on Fire Drill Requirements
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers reviewed the records of the state’s public and private schools on fire drills using reports that must be filed each year with the state. The review showed that 35 percent of the state’s schools hadn’t filed the required reports on drills. (3/29/07)
Appleton Urges Readers, "Help Us Investigate"
The Appleton, Wis., Post Crescent new editor for public service is asking readers to send along tips on things the newspaper might investigate, particularly those involving use of public records laws to get information. This will supplement periodic “Watchdog” reports the paper began a year ago. (12/18/06)
A Revealing Look at the Costs of Seaport Negotiations
Why did the Virginia Port Authority balk when asked for member expense records that are commonly public? The authority argues it can withhold the information under a state law provision that exempts information on contract negotiations. The Virginian-Pilot gave readers some revealing insights in a revealing report that looked behind the redactions on efforts of Authority members to shield their spending habits from public scrutiny. (9/25/06)
6,000 Pages Later, a Powerful Series on Mispending of School funds
The Sacramento Valley Mirror, a twice weekly paper, demonstrated the power of public records laws as it reviewed 6,000 pages of spending records, 60,000 e-mails and hundreds of pages of other work documents to produce a series of 24 articles on questionable spending, conflicts-of-interest and contract irregularities in its county’s school administration. (9/19/06)
FOIA Request Unveils Top Officials Got Bonuses
A New York Times Freedom of Information Act request to the Centers for Disease Control revealed that top officials in the past six years have taken substantial bonuses while scientists and others involved in the agencies scientific work received less than in the past. The data showed the agencvy’s chief operating officer received bonuses of $147,863 over the last four years, double the bonus payout to any other employee.
Public Salary, Benefits Information Tough to Gather in North Jersey
Seeking information on the salaries and benefits to public employees in North Jersey, the Record requested electronic versions of payrolls, budgets and audits from more than 200 municipalities and school districts. Only one in three responded with the information as requested. Many balked at providing electronic records; others said they would charge hundreds of dollars in data-processing or copying fees. The paper sought the records as part of a series on “Runaway Pay” that showed police officers making more than $100,000 a year and ten percent of teachers earning over $90,000.
New Jersey Records Requests show $3.7 Million in Trooper Overbilling
Gannett New Jersey newspapers used the state’s public records act to obtain spending records for the state police and discovered the department had been paid double for work it did for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority in the aftermath of 9/11. The agency says $3.7 million in overpayments were the result of billing code errors that have since been corrected. (5/8/06)
Miami Records Review Challenges Firefighters' Pay
A Miami Herald investigation of fire department's payroll and off-duty employment showed many firefighters getting paid to work in two places at the same time, others paid twice for the same work, and some working up to 99 straight hours. The report said the payroll record keeping is so poorly maintained and so rarely checked by officials that firefighters can file conflicting job information and no one notices. ( 7/12/06)
Charleston Review of 9-1-1 Tapes Reveals System Problems
The Charleston Post and Courier used the state’s Freedom of Information Act to obtain and analyze 9-1-1 call records for Colleton County. The paper said the study raised serious questions about the reliability of the system, including one case in which a dispatcher mis-recorded an address and sent an ambulance 20 miles off course. The caller’s wife died of suffocation before the ambulance finally arrived. (5/4/06)
Provo Herald Rates Usefulnesss of Government Meeting Agendas
The Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, conducted a different kind of open government audit, critiquing the agendas of local governments for their effectiveness in letting citizens know the official business at hand. It said the audit was prompted by continuing complaints of residents that the governments do a poor job of communicating. (1/2/08)
An Information Access Look at Government Websites
Common Cause in Massachusetts has launched a Campaign for Open Government that involves checking the websites of the state’s 351 communities for public information access. Only 40 had all key records, such as meeting agendas and minutes and town budgets, posted. (12/22/06)
San Francisco Chronicle Presents the Records on Violence Cops
Using the California public records law, the San Francisco Chronicle obtained police department “use of force” reports from 1996 through 2004. The records showed the department had failed to effectively police a hard core of some 100 violence prone officers on its 2,200 member force. (2/15/06)
Texas Students Join in Records Project on Taser Guns
With help from a grant from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, college journalism students across the state, using the state’s public records law, gathered records on police use of Taser guns. The records and follow-up interviews showed many police are using the stun weapons contrary to both regulations and to manufacturer recommendations on safe use. The students’ report ran in the Fort Worth Weekly.
A Simple Records Request Becomes an Ordeal
Jonathan Clayborne, an editor at the Washington, NC Daily News, turned his experiences in trying to review state environmental records into a highly readable tale of bureaucratic recalcitrance, a story told dispassionately yet brimming with the frustration the average citizen faces. Ultimately, one official acknowledged, Clayborne’s request had “created some angst” and apologized for the trouble. But the official didn’t disavow the policy that prompted the reporter’s ordeal. (9/6/05)
Riding the Range with the Homeland Security Patrol
One community’s homeland security is clearly not another’s. Witness the security grants won by Nebraska counties that were reviewed by the Omaha World Herald, curious as to why Nebraska got twice as much in grants per capita as California and New York, generally considered to have more likely targets for terrorists. One Nebraska county, where the cows outnumber people, used their portion of the state’s $46 million to buy lariats, halters, electric prods and portable cattle chutes, all in case there’s a need to herd infected cattle. (6/20/05)
Tulsa World Audits State University Records Law Compliance
Area universities and colleges vary in their compliance with Oklahoma's open-records law. the Tulsa World said in reporting on an audit of the schools’ performance. The paper said the time it took for the schools to respond to a series of requests ranged from a few days to nearly two months to fill requests. Some records were withheld. (8/7/06)
An Early Sampling of Sunshine Week Reports Across the Country
News organizations in every state filed special news reports, editorials and commentary for Sunshine Week 2006, which began March 12. Here's a look at just a few of those early news and news feature reports.
Tracking the Treatment of Armed Forces Back Home
Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau set out in early 2004 to answer a timely but seemingly simple question. How well do we treat our armed forces after they come home? It filed a series of FOIA requests for information on benefits handling and disability compensation. The Veterans Administration refused the requests. KR sued and got the records, which when analyzed showed lengthy delays, inconsistent rulings, and often incompetence by the veteran representatives assigned to help them. In addition to the basic report, the bureau did several other things to drive the story home.
• It also gave materials to individual Knight Ridder papers ahead of time to develop local sidebars.
• It posted online charts and graphs that let readers easily compare the greatly varying performance of their local VA offices.
• It also posted video and audio clips of veterans telling their personal benefits horror stories.
• It set up message boards and interactive forums with reporters.
Records Show a History of Complaints, Code Violations
The San Diego Union-Tribune looked at thousands of records in reporting a story on an area mayor and legislative candidate who claimed credit for helping many poor families find affordable housing. Turned out, his actual record was one of numerous lawsuits, complaints by tenants and code enforcement investigations. Importantly, the paper documented for readers the value of public records in telling the story. (12/16/05)
Resource Guides on Records Access
Glen Falls Post Star Launches Open Government Blog
The Glen Falls (NY) Post Star has set up a blog on open government to continually provide information on citizens right to know and government access issues. It’s is also inviting readers to share their experiences in seeking information and to join in an ongoing dialogue on transparency. (3/25/08)
A Quick Guide to Open Government Records
Metro Active, a weekly newspaper in the Silicon Valley, published a guide to open government listing local non-profit organizations that are strong open government advocates, noting, “Forget writing your congressman—these are resources that really matter.”
Pittsburgh Post Gazette's First Amendment Forum
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette maintains an online First Amendment Forum that gives readers summary news items, with links, on open government stories, plus an Open Records Page that people what records are available and how to access them, and a Resources Page, that lists and links to more than a dozen organizations providing information and help in obtaining records.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian published and posted a Citizen’s Guide to fighting secret government and listing local and national organizations that offer a wide range of resources for anyone who wants to track information about their local, state or national government.
Public Record Users Tell Their Story
As part of Sunshine Week, The Idaho Statesman asked its readers to write about how they use open records and meetings and why transparency in government is important to them. Typical was a parent’s story of his battle for school information. The reports added a human touch to the newspaper’s extensive open government package which also featured a look at which public records, agency by agency, may have some value to citizens. (3/30/05)
Raleigh: A Guide to Open Records and a List of What's Not
The Raleigh News & Observer posted a easy-to-read Q & A guide to the North Carolina open records, linking to a several related sites, including a rundown on what government records aren’t public published by the state’s information technology office. The list runs more than 80 summary pages.
Ft Lauderdale's Guide to Making Background Checks
The Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel offered readers a handy guide to using county, state and federal public records for a variety of background checks, providing URLs where Internet access is available
