tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-377352552012-01-11T23:43:03.010-06:00The official blog of the <a href="http://nfoic.org/">National Freedom of Information Coalition</a> and the <a href="http://nfoic.org/advocate/">FOI ADVOCATE</a>, in which we bring news of freedom of information developments far and wide... NFOIC is a coalition of state groups dedicated to open government, headquartered at the <a href="http://journalism.missouri.edu">Missouri School of Journalism</a>.National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.comBlogger16201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-54139591854092826662011-07-21T10:59:00.003-05:002011-07-21T11:03:28.419-05:00

Hello, everyone.We at NFOIC just wanted to inform you that the FOI Advocate has moved and now has a new address.You can find us at http://www.nfoic.org/blog.We've enjoyed our time at Blogger, but we're going to try it out on our new site at http://www.nfoic.org/.Stop by and see us.Thanks.NFOIC Mgmt.

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-30684008637918527762011-05-04T14:35:00.001-05:002011-05-04T14:40:50.173-05:00

from Gawker: Barack Obama has finally decided against releasing a photo of Osama bin Laden's corpse as proof of his death. But the former chief freedom of information expert for the U.S. government tells Gawker that he may not have that choice.Up until a few moments ago, when CBS News reported Obama's decision, the Administration had issued mixed signals on whether it intended to release graphic

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-79384447186962070702011-04-26T11:33:00.001-05:002011-04-26T11:36:20.044-05:00

from The Telegraph: Al-Qaeda terrorists have threatened to unleash a “nuclear hellstorm” on the West if Osama Bin Laden is caught or assassinated, according to documents to be released by the WikiLeaks website, which contain details of the interrogations of more than 700 Guantanamo detainees.However, the shocking human cost of obtaining this intelligence is also exposed with dozens of innocent

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-58436777832180087582011-04-07T15:10:00.002-05:002011-04-07T15:22:14.619-05:00

from TalkingPointsMemo: [...]As Wayne State University considers what to do about the Freedom Of Information Act requests Mackinac sent over last month, lawyers at the school have ordered parts of the Labor Studies Center website shut down over concerns from Mackinac that they violate rules against political advocacy with state resources.The Michigan Information and Research Service News Service

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-22569058235246829562011-04-07T14:58:00.003-05:002011-04-07T15:10:48.829-05:00

from The Bellingham Herald: In a recent interview with Newsweek magazine, former CIA lawyer John Rizzo spoke with surprising candor about the CIA's "targeted killing" program. He discussed the scope of the program (about 30 people are on the "hit list" at any given time), the process by which the CIA selects its targets (Rizzo was "the one who signed off") and the methods the CIA uses to

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-56437807841525186812011-04-06T15:26:00.001-05:002011-04-06T15:29:20.934-05:00

from ExecutiveGov: The latest proposal for a continuing resolution to come out of the House Appropriations Committee includes $17 million for the Office of Management and Budget’s E-Government program, which administers funds for open-government sites, Federal News Radio reports.However, while a marked increase from the $2 million previously proposed, it is still a far cry from the $35 million

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-4621752088473314312011-04-06T15:21:00.002-05:002011-04-06T15:26:11.349-05:00

from The Michigan Messenger: When the Mackinac Center’s requested emails from the labor programs at Wayne State and the University of Michigan, John Beck, Associate Professor and Director of the Labor Education Program at Michigan State University, says his phone started ringing off the hook.The media, both local and national, wanted to know about Michigan State University’s request from the

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-81438328484349666652011-04-06T15:17:00.003-05:002011-04-06T15:21:47.674-05:00

from the North Country Gazette: CHESTERTOWN, NY —-The Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company has been ordered to show cause why they shouldn’t answer outstanding Freedom of Information Law requests that sought copies of fire company minutes, run sheets, raffle proceeds and other financial information pertaining to fire company operations.They’ve also been ordered to show cause why they shouldn’t have

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-90865265255008093482011-04-05T15:22:00.003-05:002011-04-05T15:25:54.024-05:00

from semanticweb.com: There’s still no official word on how much peril open government data initiatives such as Data.gov may be in. And perhaps to many Americans, the hand-wringing they’ve heard about funding cuts in this area seem trivial when the country is looking at the U.S. public debt nearing its statutory ceiling of about $14.3 trillion. After all, what’s the real applicability of

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-46304291205645256342011-04-05T15:17:00.002-05:002011-04-05T15:21:58.277-05:00

from SFGate.com: Remember President Obama's vow, in his inaugural speech, to usher in an era of "open and transparent" government?It's taken a couple of hits of late.A White House award ceremony last week honoring his "commitment to transparency" was closed to the press, to the surprise and chagrin of the open government organizations that had joined together to present the award. One of the

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-62049014133123595942011-04-05T15:13:00.001-05:002011-04-05T15:16:56.145-05:00

from the Chicago Tribune: Frustration from city officials throughout Illinois about an avalanche of records requests – including some they argue are motivated by petty agendas – has prompted dozens of new bills to scale back a new open records law enacted last year. Backed by municipal government lobbyists and opposed by open-records advocates, the proposals would limit the rights of repeat

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-91337583737432768302011-03-24T15:07:00.002-05:002011-03-24T15:10:29.317-05:00

Sunshine Week Shame: 10 Ways the Government Is Opaquefrom Wired.comAs Sunshine Week sets, it's a good time to take a quick inventory of the federal government's ongoing failures of transparency. ...District spends more than $30,000 on out-of-district travel this yearfrom The Kansan.comNEWTON — Editor’s note: This story is part of the Kansan’s coverage for Sunshine Week, which is an event that

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-136216218601473302011-03-16T09:44:00.002-05:002011-03-16T09:56:49.273-05:00

from NFOIC:Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.Sunshine Week as a national effort is spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors. The key funder has been the John S.

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-31126699906755988652011-03-11T10:45:00.002-06:002011-03-11T10:51:11.192-06:00

from The Huffington Post: COLUMBIA, Mo. (from Ken Bunting, executive director at NFOIC) -- Heading into "Sunshine Week," many open government advocates across the country feel they have much more to bemoan than they have to celebrate.Even if no court or attorney general ever chastises Wisconsin's Republican legislators for violating open meetings law notice requirements, the convoluted web of

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-4290963239323511162011-03-07T14:48:00.003-06:002011-03-07T14:52:20.195-06:00

from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Washington, D.C. — The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press lauded today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in another decision favorable to open government, this time ruling that the Navy’s use of a Freedom of Information Act exemption for records regarding internal agency personnel rules and practices was improperly invoked to deny the

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-43445197192518336962011-03-07T13:23:00.002-06:002011-03-07T13:32:56.824-06:00

from SPJ Blog Network: On Wednesday, the Utah House Public Utilities and Technology Committee gave its OK to a bill that essentially dismantles the 20-year-old Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). As The Salt Lake Tribune reports, the bill, House Bill 477, would strip the legislative intent statement from GRAMA, which states that privacy concerns would be balanced with the public

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-23510850247121638982011-03-07T13:10:00.004-06:002011-03-07T13:20:15.119-06:00

from Isthmus/The Daily Page: Isthmus newspaper and the Wisconsin Associated Press today filed a lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker over his office's failure to respond to open records requests regarding emails received by his office."The governor said he had gotten more than 8,000 emails as of Feb. 17, with 'the majority' urging him to 'stay firm' on his budget repair bill," says Isthmus News

FOI Advocatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524292586705413018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-29465729886295344732011-03-02T16:20:00.002-06:002011-03-02T16:25:16.631-06:00

from CREW: The Supreme Court issued a decision in Fed. Communications Comm’n v. AT&T, holding the protection the Freedom of Information Act provides for “personal privacy” does not include corporations. AT&T was trying to prevent the disclosure of documents it had submitted to the FCC as part of an investigation, arguing their release would invade the corporation’s personal privacy. According to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-55943457221841067692011-03-02T16:16:00.003-06:002011-03-02T16:20:21.319-06:00

from techPresident: Citizens who believe their government is open and transparent are more likely to be satisfied with civic life, according to research released by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and the Monitor Institute.Accompanying that research is a set of materials drafted by the Monitor Institute, a for-profit think tank and consultancy hybrid, intended to help

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-88820600974482547142011-03-01T11:50:00.000-06:002011-03-01T11:52:48.808-06:00

from Washington Post: WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that corporations have no right of personal privacy to prevent the disclosure of documents under the federal Freedom of Information Act.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the 8-0 opinion Tuesday that reversed an appeals court ruling in favor of AT&T. The outcome was notable for its unanimity, especially in view of recent criticism

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-79789478587601887472011-03-01T11:08:00.002-06:002011-03-01T11:13:04.222-06:00

from KnightComm: The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation released two policy papers that call on community and elected leaders to adopt sensible strategies to expand government transparency, make public records and civic data more open and accessible to the public, and create local online hubs that provide maps for a community’s

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-11109608556318846632011-02-16T16:15:00.003-06:002011-02-16T16:23:57.463-06:00

from Wired: In November, when a major U.S. bank wanted a strategy for taking down WikiLeaks, [CEO of HBGary Federal Aaron] Barr immediately drafted a presentation in which he suggested “cyber attacks against the infrastructure to get data on document submitters. This would kill the project . . .”Faking documents seemed like a good idea, too, documents which could later be “called out” so as to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-28134116304328974672011-02-16T16:07:00.002-06:002011-02-16T16:15:26.014-06:00

from the Los Angeles Times: Reporting from Washington — Hoping to win a lucrative agreement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, three data security contractors for federal defense and intelligence agencies developed a proposal to monitor and manipulate the chamber's left-leaning critics, according to recently released e-mail correspondence.Employees of the firms compiled short dossiers on a few

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-14562867069055738562011-02-11T09:40:00.002-06:002011-02-11T09:47:31.490-06:00

from The Tech Herald: -- Dr. Alex Karp, the Co-Founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, one of three data intelligence firms who worked to develop a systematic plan of attack against WikiLeaks and their supporters, has severed all ties with HBGary Federal and issued an apology to reporter Glenn Greenwald.[...]. . . The Tech Herald learned that Palantir Technologies, HBGary Federal, and Berico

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-59750578527793252022011-02-08T14:51:00.004-06:002011-02-08T14:56:45.765-06:00

from a New York Tmes editorial: -- For 45 years, the Freedom of Information of Act has invigorated American democracy by obliging the executive branch to make public a splendid range of documents. It serves the people’s right to know, while leaving out data whose disclosure could be harmful.The law’s “exemption 7,” about facts gathered for law enforcement, omits records whose release could be “an

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-68461824329003334172011-02-08T14:35:00.001-06:002011-02-08T14:38:43.364-06:00

from FederalTimes.com -- House Democrats are calling on the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to pare back his request to dozens of agencies to divulge details of Freedom of Information Act requests from the last five years.The committee's request "will encumber every agency with a work-stopping diversion" and have a chilling effect on the public's willingness to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-71095486564671582462011-02-08T13:04:00.002-06:002011-02-08T13:09:14.984-06:00

from Electronic Frontier Foundation -- EFF filed a reply brief in its FOIA lawsuit seeking records from the FBI, DOJ and DEA that would justify the Administration’s need to expand federal surveillance laws like the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). The proposed expansion would require communications providers like Skype, Facebook, Blackberry and Twitter to build

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-33914352519342473002011-02-07T16:18:00.001-06:002011-02-07T16:22:12.588-06:00

from SFGate.com: The Egyptian government's unprecedented shutdown of Internet and mobile phone access Friday stunned the world's technology community, which questioned whether the country can quickly recover from cutting such a vital link for commerce and communication.The government's surprising move came in the face of widespread civil unrest, but essentially wiped the country off the world's

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-6122602376504168842011-02-07T16:15:00.001-06:002011-02-07T16:17:25.682-06:00

from ACLU press release: Winchester, VA - The ACLU of Virginia has filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) seeking information about policies and practices affecting the destruction of the possessions of homeless persons who use land under the agency's control.The ACLU's request comes in the wake of a January 5 incident in which a company

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-88036498753243806932011-01-31T13:23:00.001-06:002011-01-31T13:28:05.590-06:00

from The New York Times:WASHINGTON — Representative Darrell Issa calls it a way to promote transparency: a request for the names of hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens, business executives, journalists and others who have requested copies of federal government documents in recent years.Mr. Issa, a California Republican and the new chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-84092414575009476682011-01-28T13:42:00.002-06:002011-01-28T13:46:39.783-06:00

from Electronic Privacy Information Center: The Department of Homeland Security has released the Freedom of Information Act Report for 2010. The report analyzes the processing of FOIA requests made throughout the year by each DHS component, detailing the disposition of each request, response times, and the number of backlogged requests.DHS is under scrutiny for their policy of referring FOIA

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-15791080515752277542011-01-28T08:12:00.002-06:002011-01-28T08:15:31.559-06:00

from NFOIC.org: COLUMBIA, Mo. (January 27, 2011)—A New York judge, ruling in a case supported by a Knight FOI Fund grant, has ordered disclosure of records sought by a Web publisher and a community activist regarding a volunteer fire company.But in the same 13-page ruling, Warren County (NY) Supreme Court Judge David B. Krogmann held that many of the meetings of the Chestertown Volunteer Fire

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-77278516557043374172011-01-25T15:00:00.002-06:002011-01-25T15:06:23.988-06:00

from OMB Watch: In August 2004, SBC Communications admitted improperly charging for services under an FCC program to subsidize phone and Internet access for schools and libraries. (In 2005, SBC merged with AT&T.) SBC returned the money and paid an additional $500,000 to the government under the terms of a consent decree adopted in December 2004, in exchange for the FCC closing its investigation

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-15894686367822943002011-01-25T14:53:00.002-06:002011-01-25T14:57:42.131-06:00

from Project on Government Oversight: In recent years, investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) have exposed a wide range of serious misconduct, including the agency's failure to crack down on the Madoff and Stanford Ponzi schemes, retaliation against whistleblowers, conflicts of interest, revolving door abuses, the failure to take action

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-75858505057002627592011-01-25T13:12:00.003-06:002011-01-25T13:20:11.061-06:00

from PostStar.com: The Horicon Town Board held what appeared to be an illegal meeting Wednesday to ban an event from Town Hall that was to feature the state's expert on the Freedom of Information and open meetings laws.The "emergency" meeting was held by the board to rescind permission for local residents to host Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, for an

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-18478015390089379462011-01-25T10:55:00.003-06:002011-01-25T11:02:11.841-06:00

from msnbc.com: U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected with leaking secret documents and Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.The officials say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-1567630467774406792011-01-24T15:31:00.002-06:002011-01-24T15:48:15.752-06:00

from Minnesota Coalition on Government Information: The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is soliciting nominations for a person, group of people or organization that demonstrates a commitment to the power of information.Past recipients include Colleen Coghlan, a college librarian outspoken on open access, the Urban Coalition, a Minneapolis organization that uses information to build

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-8483451064664229982011-01-24T15:28:00.001-06:002011-01-24T15:31:42.635-06:00

from Montana Conservation Voters: HELENA, Mont. - A debate on company secrets versus the public's right to know is set for today in the Montana Legislature. A hearing is being held on a proposal that would require oil and gas companies to provide a list of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), in the interest of protecting residents and first-responders at accidents near fracking

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-65840857478611703172011-01-21T15:34:00.001-06:002011-01-21T15:37:20.428-06:00

from Oregon Public Broadcasting: The Attorneys General of Oregon and Washington are asking state lawmakers to make public documents more accessible.A pair of bills in Salem and a hearing Thursday in Olympia come in response to critics who say obtaining government records is too expensive and takes too long.Oregon Attorney General John Kroger wants to create strict deadlines for public agencies to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-26743624693198580082011-01-21T15:27:00.003-06:002011-01-21T15:34:12.072-06:00

from nextgov: Two years ago Friday, on his first day in office, President Obama issued a memo aimed at making government operations more transparent. While open government advocates have largely panned the effort over what they call toothless policies, a regulatory compliance initiative announced Tuesday is giving some of those critics new hope the administration's transparency objectives

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-53851143566143319162011-01-21T15:23:00.003-06:002011-01-21T15:27:43.640-06:00

from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: It was a lesson in vocabulary during oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court held Wednesday morning, as the high court wrestled over the meaning of the word "personal." The case, FCC v. AT&T, concerned a federal Freedom of Information Act request for documents regarding a Federal Communications Commission investigation into AT&T's participation

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-58690422043992831732011-01-19T15:23:00.002-06:002011-01-19T15:27:43.447-06:00

from Reuters: WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Internal U.S. government reviews have determined that a mass leak of diplomatic cables caused only limited damage to U.S. interests abroad, despite the Obama administration's public statements to the contrary.A congressional official briefed on the reviews said the administration felt compelled to say publicly that the revelations had seriously damaged

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-24240047644835662792011-01-19T15:18:00.004-06:002011-01-19T15:29:25.646-06:00

from the ACLU: WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court ruled that the government can continue suppressing transcripts in which former CIA prisoners now held at Guantánamo Bay describe abuse and torture they suffered in CIA custody. The ruling came in an ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit to obtain uncensored transcripts from Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) used to determine if

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-64924474370389092352011-01-14T12:23:00.002-06:002011-01-14T12:27:29.473-06:00

from the Seattle PostGlobe: Passionate about the need for citizens and reporters to freely get information from government agencies, former P-I associate publisher Ken Bunting is back to town to give a keynote speech at the Washington State Open Government Conference on Saturday. There, you can learn your rights to open government and you can get practical tips to exercise your rights at all

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-42803287411861150522011-01-14T12:05:00.003-06:002011-01-14T12:46:12.877-06:00

from Datamation: A prominent House lawmaker is ratcheting up pressure on the Obama administration to take action against Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange.In a letter delivered this week, Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to add Assange to the department's Specially Designated National and Blocked Persons

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-24071093227460450872011-01-14T11:44:00.002-06:002011-01-14T11:47:10.189-06:00

from the First Amendment Center: The right to know about the actions of government is now an important part of America’s democratic heritage.The legal basis of this right was established on July 4, 1966, when President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act. In 1974, FOIA was strengthened with the passage of key amendments. A new measure, which would apply FOIA principles to electronic

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-58621304750035938072011-01-14T11:34:00.003-06:002011-01-14T11:40:34.254-06:00

from The Sunlight Foundation: ... Gov 2.0 guru Tim O'Reilly encourages us to look at it as “government as a platform." In fact, in his "What does Government 2.0 mean to you?" he gives citizens the opportunity to literally define it in their terms and be comfortable with how they see it working for them. This is why the latest blogosphere excitement about upcoming Gov 2.0 activities in various

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from the First Amendment Center: WASHINGTON — The 13th annual National Freedom of Information Day Conference will be held Wednesday, March 16, at the Knight Conference Center at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.Hosted each year by the First Amendment Center, the conference brings together open records advocates, government officials, judges, lawyers, librarians, journalists, educators and

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-50623847429060128542011-01-14T11:16:00.002-06:002011-01-14T11:27:31.468-06:00

from SecurityInfoWatch.com: A federal judge in Washington has ruled the Department of Homeland Security can keep from public view 2,000 "whole-body" images of air travelers screened at checkpoints.The decision is a setback for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which had sued the government for release of material to determine how the technology would impact privacy and civil liberty

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-85363050031525596682011-01-11T16:12:00.002-06:002011-01-11T16:15:27.610-06:00

from The Washington Post: The Richmond Police Department is dropping its demand for the return of dozens of internal documents it provided to a group called Richmond Copwatch, a week after filing suit in Richmond Circuit Court seeking an emergency protective order.The 600 pages of documents were supplied last month, at a cost of $89.25, after a Freedom of Information Act request by an anarchist

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-2934637815874688082011-01-11T16:07:00.002-06:002011-01-11T16:12:05.741-06:00

from All Headline News: Teachers in New York plan to appeal a court decision allowing the state education department to release their names and rankings, citing privacy and flawed data.The United Federation of Teachers will seek a review of the ruling of State Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern on the release of performance reports of 12,000 teachers.Kern issued her decision on Monday, saying, "It

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-76760450933325929522011-01-10T13:38:00.003-06:002011-01-10T13:43:29.212-06:00

opinion from the Detroit Free Press: In one of the last acts of its short-lived Democratic majority, the Michigan Supreme Court did some potential damage to the public's right to know, in a ruling about the privacy of what public employees do on public time with publicly provided communications systems.The court ought to reconsider this decision before somebody tries to hide behind it to thwart

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-38003877916435624852011-01-10T13:32:00.003-06:002011-01-10T13:37:49.468-06:00

from Style Weekly:The Richmond Police Department and the City of Richmond have filed suit against a woman who represents a local anarchist collective called Wingnut, asking her to return police policy manuals that the department released to her group.In the complaint, the Richmond Police Department puts the blame on program manager Angela Harrison, saying she “exceeded the authority granted to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-33198567704701762972010-12-30T13:06:00.004-06:002010-12-30T13:13:13.417-06:00

from Chron.com: Texas A&M University officials will take a second look at a controversial decision widely seen as an attempt to prevent student journalists at Tarleton State University from investigating their own school's public records.Andrew Strong, A&M's general counsel, said Wednesday he wasn't aware of all of the facts when he crafted a letter that extended existing rules, which ban

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-68524732229326190812010-12-30T11:39:00.004-06:002010-12-30T11:47:17.626-06:00

from O'Reilly Radar: While the progress of the White House Open Government Directive at federal agencies is important, as is action in Congress, there's a long road yet ahead in the United States and abroad. As John Wonderlich pointed out in his own look at 2010:Obama’s Open Government Directive is at a crossroads (like other similar policies), and the changing majority in the House brings new

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-34365327042485640992010-12-30T11:33:00.003-06:002010-12-30T11:39:47.401-06:00

from programmable web: Civic minded hackers from all over the world recently organized themselves for action as a part of the International Open Government Hackathon. The team from Portland, Oregon decided to make use of a platform called ScraperWiki that can grab data from government websites and turn into more consumable formats via the ScraperWiki API....The ScraperWiki work highlights a

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from Twin Cities Daily Planet: By Bill Sorem, The Uptake -- It was a declassified FBI document that Lucia Wilkes Smith held up before a crowd of Minneapolis peace activists. It was declassified in name only because nearly every word on the dozen or so pages had been blacked out for national security reasons."The first letter I got from the FBI said 'we don't have anything on you', said Wilkes

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-80622750828501982042010-12-30T11:24:00.002-06:002010-12-30T11:27:42.425-06:00

from The Hill: The National Archives and Records Administration is letting the public preview a new search tool that digs through the government's huge archive of public records.Users visiting a prototype of the new site can search for everything from a child's letter to the president to the iconic image of WWII's Rosie the Riveter among more than 10.9 million permanent electronic records.Read

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-54207965666588259182010-12-23T08:19:00.002-06:002010-12-23T08:28:20.524-06:00

from the Times-News MagicValley.com: (Twin Falls) -- Correspondence between city officials that was obtained by the Times-News shows there was no public record of complaints about adult stores Karnation and Enchantress, despite Twin Falls Police saying complaints spurred investigations into the sale of obscene materials.The letters threatened action “up to and including arrest” if the stores did

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-3665270313370538962010-12-22T13:24:00.002-06:002010-12-22T13:32:28.767-06:00

from OMB WatchThe White House took another step toward securing the independence of federal scientists and ensuring the integrity of scientific information used in government decision making. President Obama's top science advisor, John Holdren, issued a memo to executive branch agencies outlining the administration's position on key scientific integrity issues and instructing agencies to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-25648146225185959242010-12-22T09:26:00.004-06:002010-12-22T09:45:19.912-06:00

from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: New Mexico went live Dec. 16 with a prototype of its planned online open government resource called the Sunshine Portal. The website, which is scheduled to go fully live on July 1, 2011, opens to journalists and citizens information that otherwise might take weeks or months to gain access to through information requests.The site contains

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-17906102579881537622010-12-16T11:06:00.004-06:002010-12-16T11:11:02.426-06:00

from The New York Review of Books: By the way, how do we know people have been talking about the Information Age for fifty years? The OED tells us. The first recorded usage is attributed to “R. S. Leghorn in H. B. Maynard Top Managem. Handbk. xlvii. 1024,” 1960. He turns out to have been Richard Leghorn, founder of Itek Corporation, which made aerospace spy cameras, and later Chief of

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-57531952552168892252010-12-15T14:35:00.004-06:002010-12-15T14:41:45.525-06:00

from the Missouri School of Journalism: Columbia, Mo. (Dec. 2, 2010) -- With its major release of classified U.S. government information, the WikiLeaks organization has forced its way into international news again. Now that the secret diplomatic data have hit newspapers, broadcast media and Internet wires, University of Missouri free speech experts say that the journalists who have disseminated

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-74310265090624103962010-12-13T11:16:00.003-06:002010-12-13T11:23:46.630-06:00

from statesman.com: Faculty members and open-records advocates are criticizing a Texas A&M University System policy that bars professors from directing students to submit public information requests to A&M campuses and agencies.Journalism teachers sometimes instruct students to file such requests under the Texas Public Information Act to gain experience using an important tool for reporters.[....

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-43234733486845125792010-12-10T16:17:00.002-06:002010-12-10T16:21:29.973-06:00

from the Electronic Frontier Foundation:EFF recently received documents in response to one of our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that demonstrate a disturbing trend: the FBI's arbitrary application of FOIA exemptions to hide, or in some instances, reveal, its unlawful activities.Through a careful comparison of thousands of pages of documents we received from this FOIA request with the

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-551710684829996112010-12-09T15:38:00.004-06:002010-12-09T15:48:25.835-06:00

from the Sunlight Foundation Blog:Some House Republicans are already looking for a way around the ban on earmarks imposed on the next Congress. These members are rapidly trying to come up with a new definition for earmarks, or directed spending, to skirt the ban.Politico reports, “[S]ome Republicans are discussing exemptions to the earmark ban, allowing transportation, U.S. Army Corps of

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-81834473399895297982010-12-09T15:07:00.003-06:002010-12-09T15:15:29.444-06:00

from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco (9th Cir.) allowed the live broadcast Monday of more than two hours of oral arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a case challenging the constitutionality of California’s ban on same-sex marriages.The hearing before the three-judge panel is the latest legal step in the case brought by two same-sex

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-54363893874536580082010-11-24T12:19:00.001-06:002010-11-24T12:23:04.944-06:00

from OMB Watch: When the 112th Congress convenes in January, attention will be focused on the newly Republican-controlled House. On transparency issues, House Republican leaders have sounded positive tones. However, it remains to be seen whether bipartisan consensus on meaningful transparency can be achieved or whether transparency will be wielded as a partisan weapon.Undoubtedly, divided party

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-19954188358163386562010-11-24T12:11:00.004-06:002010-11-24T12:18:57.488-06:00

from O'Reilly radar: Cities, states and agencies are publishing more government data online, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Much government data is still in paper form, locked away in file cabinets, or in closed formats on obscure servers. ... The Department of Labor is just now starting to put that data online. That's why reporting on the progress of open government data initiatives is

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-5185102229954734132010-11-24T12:06:00.002-06:002010-11-24T12:11:46.397-06:00

from CREW: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder expressing concern over the Department of Justice's (DOJ) failure to abide by President Obama's commitment to government transparency and accountability.Despite policy directives from President Barack Obama and Attorney General Holder mandating a presumption of openness in

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-70461528173076165962010-11-18T12:44:00.001-06:002010-11-18T12:48:31.353-06:00

from The Huffington Post: The Obama administration has made no secret of its desire to unplug WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website infamous for data dumps of classified records. Of the few options available to the government, the best is one that probably hasn't been considered in this context: enacting a federal shield law.How would a shield law -- a version of which has passed the House and

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-12086023097122397072010-11-11T11:01:00.004-06:002010-11-11T11:13:51.306-06:00

from boston.com: Governor Deval Patrick’s administration told a local website operator he could face jail time for publishing information that the state provided under an open-records request.It is unclear whether officials would or could follow through with the threat to Michael Morisy, cofounder of MuckRock (muckrock.com), a website devoted to open records. But the unusual letter, also

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-52093961608911000922010-11-11T10:57:00.002-06:002010-11-11T11:01:23.623-06:00

from msnbc.com: The legal inquiries into the CIA’s destruction of videotapes showing the brutal interrogation of terror suspects may not be over after all.A day after the Justice Department announced that a special counsel had concluded his investigation into the matter without bringing criminal charges, officials of the National Archives and Records Administration signaled Wednesday that they

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-42855898331968289982010-11-05T15:34:00.004-05:002010-11-05T16:16:26.712-05:00

from New York University Law Review: Under normal Freedom of Information Act procedures, an individual submits a request for records to a government agency and receives one of three responses: The agency may identify responsive records and release them, determine that there are no responsive records and inform the requestor of this fact, or identify responsive records but determine that they are

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-29669775428413495052010-11-05T15:29:00.002-05:002010-11-05T15:34:08.733-05:00

from NFOIC.org and OpenTheGovernment.org: (Washington, DC, November 4, 2010 )—Organizations working on government openness and accountability welcome the release of the Executive Order on Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) (PDF/16 KB). The Order rescinds the Bush Administration CUI memorandum, which was intended to create "a tiered system of designations and establish a framework for

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-31807110375325844612010-11-02T14:04:00.003-05:002010-11-02T15:59:25.349-05:00

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rosanna Cavanagh, who holds law and business degrees from Cornell University, has been named executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC), a regional organization devoted to furthering freedom of information and government transparency.Her appointment was announced today by Thomas Heslin, executive editor of the Providence (R.I.) Journal and president

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-40747914098598166552010-11-02T13:55:00.002-05:002010-11-02T14:04:02.713-05:00

from the Springfield News-Leader: Following questions about why the Springfield school board finance committee wasn't complying with the Sunshine Law, the board now contends it wasn't an official standing committee.The board argues that even though the committee has met regularly -- often at least monthly -- for at least eight years and various board members have served on it, it was merely an

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-39498149225461439632010-10-29T16:16:00.002-05:002010-10-29T16:20:37.767-05:00

from Oregonlive.com: Oregon's Public Employee Retirement System is going to court to try to overturn a decision by the state's top lawyer and keep the names and pension benefits of its best-paid retirees a secret.The case spotlights a potential showdown between Attorney General John Kroger, who is pushing for more government transparency, and state agencies, which observers say had greater

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-78390816892516568062010-10-22T12:26:00.001-05:002010-10-22T12:29:58.746-05:00

from NFOIC and OpenTheGovernment.org: Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members,On behalf of the undersigned organizations concerned with government openness and accountability, we are writing to urge you to not include in the final version of the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization (NTSB) Act of 2010 (HR 4714, S 2768) two provisions in Section 3(d) of the Senate- passed version of the

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-67786402705351934212010-10-20T12:04:00.002-05:002010-10-20T12:08:44.401-05:00

from delawareonline: Anyone seeking documents from the Delaware Public Service Commission should prepare to ask for them the old-fashioned way -- and pay for them.David L. Bonar, the PSC ombudsman, said the changes are needed because people have dashed off information requests through e-mail, resulting in a large use of staff time. The proposal would require people to put in some thought and

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-57976889205226426382010-10-12T14:13:00.003-05:002010-10-12T14:24:32.611-05:00

from the Portland Business Journal: Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on Thursday released a Government Transparency Report that highlights problems with the state's public records and public meetings laws and offers remedies.The 16-page report is based on hundreds of comments collected in six public meetings across Oregon.Read more from the Business Journal here, and view the full report

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-18588952296933271202010-10-11T11:15:00.003-05:002010-10-11T11:20:02.336-05:00

from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:The Washington Supreme Court upheld Thursday an appellate court’s ruling that metadata -- information related to the history, tracking or management of an electronic document -- is a public record subject to disclosure under the state Public Records Act.The ruling involved a 2006 case in which Shoreline, Wash., resident Beth O’Neill sued under

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-68145857535546239682010-09-30T15:12:00.002-05:002010-09-30T15:20:21.271-05:00

from Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas: A state district judge threw out the indictment against Texas State Jail Standards Commission Executive Director Adan Munoz, saying wording in the criminal charge for allegedly releasing confidential information was “too vague.” It is unclear what action, if any, local prosecutors might take in moving forward for a possible new indictment or

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-26172466909561443592010-09-30T14:29:00.001-05:002010-09-30T14:33:10.357-05:00

from NFOIC.org: COLUMBIA, Mo. (September 28, 2010)—A news website publisher in upstate New York and a citizen open government activist have been awarded a litigation grant from the Knight FOI Fund to press a legal action against a volunteer fire company.According to a complaint filed in the Warren County (NY) Supreme Court, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company continues to insist it is not

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-62797194191307443112010-09-24T08:11:00.003-05:002010-09-24T08:15:28.909-05:00

from Project On Government Oversight:The House voted Sept. 23 to repeal Section 929I of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which had provided the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with sweeping new powers to hide its records from public scrutiny. The House’s passage of S. 3717 comes just one day after the Senate voted unanimously to strike the troubling secrecy

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-54193124496065975892010-09-23T15:52:00.003-05:002010-09-23T15:59:47.178-05:00

from NFOIC.org:On behalf of the undersigned organizations concerned with government accountability and transparency, we are writing in support of H.R. 6026, the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act. H.R. 6026 was introduced by a member of the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee, Representative Driehaus (D-OH), and is cosponsored by the Chair of the Information

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-79904151074130152922010-09-22T10:34:00.002-05:002010-09-22T10:41:44.498-05:00

opinion, from Hawaii Reporter:When Bell city officials started raking in obscene salary amounts, it’s a safe bet that they never considered the California Public Records Act. ... Eight Bell officials were arrested Sept. 21 for the misappropriation of $5.5 million. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley called the Bell scandal “corruption on steroids.”[...]The California Public Records

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-17911176871041742582010-09-20T11:53:00.002-05:002010-09-20T11:57:05.406-05:00

from The Brownsville Herald:The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office has refused to prosecute a case filed by the Valley Morning Star accusing San Benito officials of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, officials said last week.The Star filed the complaint in April accusing city commissioners of failing to disclose the nature of a discussion they held in a closed meeting on April 12.The

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-33771136867235028082010-09-17T09:22:00.002-05:002010-09-17T09:25:39.396-05:00

from NFOICCOLUMBIA, Mo. – A California judge, as a result of litigation backed by the Knight FOI Fund, has ordered the state’s pension fund to release records about a $100 million real estate investment loss.Judge Charlotte W. Woolard of the San Franicsco Superior Court, in a six-page writ signed on Tuesday, September 14, ordered the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-16032358686609664912010-09-13T16:02:00.003-05:002010-09-13T16:08:24.712-05:00

from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC):EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the National Security Agency in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia. The agency failed to respond to EPIC's FOIA request for documents about an "Information Assurance" partnership with Google. EPIC previously appealed to the agency to comply with its legal

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-8387394615478816802010-09-10T10:09:00.002-05:002010-09-10T10:11:56.732-05:00

from the Columbia Missourian: COLUMBIA — The Citizens Police Review Board decided Wednesday night that Columbia police officers should keep their cameras rolling.Jennifer Bukowsky, an attorney with the Boone County Public Defender’s office, presented a proposal to the board calling for police officers to use cameras in their squad cars more often and to keep audio and video records longer.“

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-71326066673272550162010-09-08T15:35:00.004-05:002010-09-08T15:44:23.745-05:00

from NFOIC.org: National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) member organizations interested in funding for projects in their states must submit applications by Friday Oct. 8 to be considered for a fall grant award. This application deadline applies only to project and sustainability grants to support and enhance state coalition and member organization work. Applications for Knight FOI Fund

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-14897759155603994522010-09-08T15:31:00.002-05:002010-09-08T15:35:38.066-05:00

from OpenTheGovernment.org:On Tuesday, September 7, OpenTheGovernment.org released the 2010 Secrecy Report Card 2010 Secrecy Report Card, a quantitative report on indicators of government secrecy. The report chronicles a continued decrease in most indicators of secrecy since the end of the Bush Administration and growing backlogs in the declassification system as old secrets move through the

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-90771034967454944852010-09-01T10:43:00.002-05:002010-09-01T10:48:20.250-05:00

from the California Chronicle:SACRAMENTO – Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne has ruled that California State University Stanislaus violated the California Public Records Act when they refused to disclose the contract that brought Sarah Palin to the campus in June. The judge ordered CSU Stanislaus to release the speaking contract and also awarded payment of attorney fees to

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-4242665732180804922010-08-30T13:26:00.001-05:002010-08-30T13:29:18.491-05:00

from NFOIC.org:A weekly newspaper in New Mexico has been awarded a litigation grant from the Knight FOI Fund to press a legal action against a state college for disregarding basic requirements of that state's "sunshine law."The $11,000 grant to the Rio Grande Sun newspaper was announced by the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC), which administers the Fund that was created by the

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-8260956837186777892010-08-30T13:19:00.003-05:002010-08-30T13:26:25.256-05:00

from the AMERICAN-STATESMAN:A Nueces County skirmish over open records could land an Austin state agency official in prison for up to 10 years.Or it could leave several Nueces County officials looking foolish.[...]Adan Muñoz Jr., executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, has been charged with two felony counts of misuse of official information — a crime that typically pertains

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-84940506383289830912010-08-25T13:00:00.002-05:002010-08-25T13:03:52.682-05:00

from the National Press Club:The National Press Club Board of Governors voted on Aug. 23 to honor a University of Missouri journalism professor and an Iranian blogger with its 2010 John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award.The award, given each year to one domestic and one international recipient, honors people who have contributed to the cause of press freedom and open government.This year’s U.S.

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-62733052750952090842010-08-24T15:26:00.002-05:002010-08-24T15:29:47.162-05:00

from the Washington Policy Blog:The state's Sunshine Committee (Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee) has survived legislative efforts the past few years to eliminate its existence. Now it appears the Committee is facing a new threat, gubernatorial neglect.Under the law, the Governor appoints six of the Committee's thirteen members including the Chair. To have a quorum at least

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-25888340526613449302010-08-24T14:42:00.003-05:002010-08-24T14:49:28.736-05:00

from the First Amendment Center:WASHINGTON — Last term, the First Amendment was front and center on the Supreme Court’s docket, producing a major decision on campaign-finance regulation and an array of other rulings on topics ranging from a Christian cross in the Mojave Desert to animal-cruelty videos.It’s still early, but the next Supreme Court term is shaping up similarly, with First Amendment

National Freedom of Information Coalitionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07987084587838968158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37735255.post-39339632916319604242010-08-17T11:03:00.002-05:002010-08-17T11:07:53.503-05:00

from The Bristol Press:If you want a unique view of how democracy should work, pick up Mitchell W. Pearlman’s new book "Piercing the Veil of Secrecy, Lessons in the Fight for Freedom of Information."Pearlman, the retired general counsel and executive director of Connecticut’s singular Freedom of Information Commission, is a national treasure — no, international treasure. He is recognized from

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