News

In terms of transparency, Wyoming is among the worst

Wyoming ranks among the worst states for government transparency, according to the president of the Society of Professional Journalists. David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, is one of about a half-dozen resear ...

Editorial: In James Holmes case, no need to choose jurors in secret

A demand that potential jurors in the Aurora movie theater murder trial be questioned beyond public view shows a dismaying lack of confidence in jurors' honesty and integrity ...

Schlichtman: A battle worth fighting

In the past month, the Steamboat Pilot & Today has won two cases filed in response to attempts by the Routt County District Attorney's Office to seal documents in the Meghan McKeon case. And while we have achieved favorable rulings in court, it is apparent that when it comes to the court of public opinion, the jury is still out ...

Judge Denies City of Norfolk’s Request to Dismiss FOIA Lawsuit Brought by the ACLU of Virginia and PETA

ACLU of Virginia lawyers representing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) presented arguments today in their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the City of Norfolk. The ACLU of Virginia and PETA argued that, according to ...

Top NSA officials struggled over surge in Foia requests, emails reveal

National Security Agency officials wrestled for weeks with how to respond to an unprecedented surge in open records requests from members of the public in the wake of the first mass surveillance revelations from Edward Snowden almost a year ago. read ...

Our View: Sunshine deprivation syndrome

Mr. Terrell was, until last week, chairman of the Walton County Planning Commission. He abruptly gave up the top job amid criticism over a meeting gone awry and an apparent attempt to evade Florida’s open-government, or sunshine, law. read more ...

NASCIO sees positive growth on open data

A new report out from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) shows that some progress is being made on its 2009 call for governments to more fully embrace open data. Authors note that state and local governments have, i ...

Mayor questions public records process

Bloomington (IN) Mayor Tari Renner wants elected officials, not hired staff, to have more say on disputed requests from the public for city records. Renner’s call for more oversight stems from the city’s recent denial of a Pantagraph Freedom of Information Act request seeking details about the termination of Bloomington Police Officer Brenton VanHoveln, who allegedly falsified documents. The Pantagraph is asking the public access counselor in the state attorney general's office to review the city’s denial and require it to release the records. read more ...

NY Towns miss deadline on FOI request

Freedom of Information requests submitted April 15 to the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby (NY) for public records related to the proposed dissolution of the Village of Medina have yet to be fulfilled even though the deadline to do so has elapsed. The ...

Editorial: Governor should sign bill to increase openness on highway projects

State lawmakers this spring approved the Transportation Enterprise Transparency Act. This is a bill that reflects the Colorado belief of openess in government. The bill should be signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper ...