NEFAC says Holder should push for shield law, train Justice personnel on subpoenas
Press release from New England First Amendment Coalition: The New England First Amendment Coalition registered "extreme dismay" at the government seizure of phone records of The Associated Press and urged Attorney General Eric Holder to work for passage of a federal shield law and take other steps to avert a repeat of the intrusion that was part of a probe into a security leak. read more ...
#FOISummit brief: Digital Dodges and the Email Sleight of Hand
Robert Becker, Lori Mince and Joey Senat discussed best practices and best outcomes when issues related to email and digital communications are legislated or litigated in states. The panel was moderated by Scott Sternberg. Please find the speakers' biographies here. read more ...
#FOISummit brief: Keynote speaker Waldo Jaquith discussed The State Decoded
Waldo Jaquith delivered the keynote address from the Renaissance Arts Hotel in New Orleans. Jaquith is the award-winning “open government technologist” who developed the White House’s Ethics.gov tool and an ongoing project to put all 50 states’ laws, court decisions and legislative tracking information on a user-friendly Web platform. Please find Waldo Jaquith's biography here. read more ...
#FOISummit brief: Not a Picayune Problem
The panel discussion, Not a Picayune Problem, featured panelists Sherry Alexander, Steve Beatty, James O'Byrne, and Tod Smith. Peter Scheer moderated. Please see speakers' biographies here. How is the changing news media environment and the gradual reshaping of the newspaper business affecting the use and effectiveness of freedom of information requests and other journalistic efforts on behalf of open and accountable government? read more ...
#FOISummit brief: Yes, You CAN … on a Shoestring
Megan Rhyne, Hyde Post, Anne-Marie Taylor and David Marcello spoke at the first panel of the 2013 FOI Summit at The Renaissance Arts Hotel, New Orleans. Three topics were discussed at the panel. Please see speakers biographies here. Megan Rh ...
White House pushes for media shield law
From The New York Times: WASHINGTON — The Obama administration sought on Wednesday to revive legislation that would provide greater protections to reporters from penalties for refusing to identify confidential sources, and that would enable journalists to ask a federal judge to quash subpoenas for their phone records, a White House official said. read more ...
Media attorney wants judge to find LSU in contempt of court
From The Advocate: An attorney for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune asked a judge Friday to find LSU’s Board of Supervisors in contempt of court for refusing to turn over materials related to the university’s recent search for a new president. read more ...
Gene Policinski: Seizure of AP phone records: An affront to a free press
From First Amendment Center: What The Associated Press calls “a massive and unprecedented intrusion by the Department of Justice”(DOJ) into its news gathering activities is more than an affront to a free press — it’s a direct challenge. read more ...
Towards open access to government science: The Obama Administration takes some important steps
From Union of Concerned Scientists: This week, the National Research Council is holding public comment meetings on increasing public access to federally funded research—both access to the data and publications. We encouraged the UCS Science Network to weigh in with their own ideas on how the government can increase public access to its science. After all, this is the science that we all pay for through our tax dollars. read more ...
Attorney general: IPR ‘likely’ subject to open meetings laws
From Des Moines Register: Iowa Public Radio is subject to state open-records laws and likely must adhere to public meetings laws, the state attorney general’s office said in an informal opinion. read more ...
