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Kentucky Open Government Blog
Louisville SPJ hosting session on freedom-of-information issues; register by March 10
The Louisville Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is hosting a half-day session on the Freedom of Information Act and related issues Saturday, March 13. The event, in partnership with the Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics at Bellarmine University, will be held at Bellarmine's Brown Activity Center...
Senate commttee requires transparency in use of Governor's mansion, aircraft
A state senate committee has moved to transform into law an executive order issued by Gov. Steve Beshear two years ago requiring more transparency in the use of state aircraft and the executive mansion for non-official purposes.The State and Local Government Committee approved Senate Bill 82, sponsored by Sen. Damon...
Committee OKs bill for openness in family courts
A Kentucky House committee has passed a bill that would open some family court proceedings to the public in a pilot project.The House Judiciary Committee voted 9-1 to approved the bill, House Bill 407, sponsored by Rep. Susan Westrom of Lexington. The measure allows the Kentucky Supreme Court to open...
Louisville Freedom-of-information session March 13
Do you want to add more depth to your stories by obtaining copies of government records, but you aren’t sure how to get them or what records are open to you? Are public agencies making decisions in closed meetings that should be open to the public and the media? Do...
Bill to open child-abuse death records turned into one for a study that wouldn't be done until 2012
The sponsor of a state House bill that would have required the release of records on children who die from abuse or neglect has amended his proposal to call for more study on the issue instead.After Rep. Tom Burch of Luisville altered the bill, it passed the House Health and...
Senate passes bills to open legislative finances, associations of local governments
The Kentucky Senate last week passed without dissent two bills that would make the actions of state government and associations of local governments more open. The bills are now in the House.Senate Bill 40, sponsored by Republican Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown, would require all state agencies and universities to...
Sunlight Foundation Transparency Ecosystem
Sunlight Foundation: Budget and Deficit Transparency
Earlier this week, the Senate passed an amendment to the unemployment extenders bill that would require the Secretary of the Senate to post information related to the debt effect of each bill that passes the Senate. The vote was 100-0. Unaminous votes are pretty rare in the Senate. This one...
Sunlight Foundation: The future of libraries
This article in the New Republic by Lisbet Rausing takes a look at the future of libraries and knowledge and the obstacles preventing scholarly knowledge and research from reaching the wider public over the web. I’ll just selectively quote below. The whole article is worth the read.Look at JSTOR (if...
Sunlight Foundation: The Transparency Campaign: Who We Are
A few weeks back, we asked members of our community to tell us a little about themselves: What are people looking for from our government? When it comes to transparency, what is the most important priority? What’s the best way we can build movement for open government at the state...
Sunlight Foundation: Massa, Maf54 and the Ethics Committee
And now to totally contradict my previous post stating why no one needs to talk about tickle-monster Eric Massa.The House voted today 404-2 to recommend that the House Ethics Committee reopen their probe into Massa’s misconduct and examine whether House leaders were aware of his misdeeds and whether they failed...
Following the announcement by Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Norm Dicks, incoming chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, that members can no longer earmark funs to for profit companies, the House Republicans have adopted a one-year moratorium on earmark requests. The deadline for...
Sunlight Foundation: Links after lunch
1) Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and a member of her staff are being called before a grand jury in Michigan. Details are not known, but her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, has faced a series of criminal charges over the past few years.2) The House Appropriations Committee banned earmarks...
Secrecy News
White House Promotes Prizes for Open Government
Executive branch agencies should “increase the use of prizes and challenges as tools for promoting open government,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a memorandum to agency heads (pdf) this week. “It is Administration policy to strongly encourage agencies to utilize prizes and challenges as tools for...
Army: FOIA Requesters Are “Not an Adversary”
Slowly and unevenly, the Obama Administration’s open government message is filtering down to the agency level. We have entered “a new era of open government,” Army officials informed a government audience recently. There will be “increased emphasis on the Freedom of Information Act… Agency FOIA programs must be improved… Commanders need...
Congressional Oversight, and More from CRS
New Congressional Research Service reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Visa Security Policy: Roles of the Departments of State and Homeland Security,” March 8, 2010. “Legislative Options After Citizens United v. FEC: Constitutional and Legal Issues,” March 8,...
Pentagon Study Critiques 2003 Transition in Iraq
The transition of U.S. military forces in Iraq to post-major combat operations in 2003 was marred by failures in leadership and planning, according to an internal report (pdf) prepared for the Pentagon that was partially declassified and released this month under the Freedom of Information Act. “The transition that occurred was...
Navy Intel Oversight, Protecting Unclassified Info
The U.S. Navy has released some new guidance pertaining to intelligence programs, including the following items (both pdf). “Oversight of the Department of the Navy Military Intelligence Program,” SECNAV Instruction 5000.38A, February 5, 2010. “Required Operational Capabilities and Projected Operational Environment for Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command Forces,” OPNAV Instruction 3501.382, March 1,...
One of the few unclassified discussions of official U.S. policy on the use of “cover stories” to conceal classified activities and operations advised that “Cover stories must be believable.” (1992 draft SAP Supplement [pdf], at p. 3-1-5). But such pedestrian guidance would not have been needed by British military and intelligence...
Sunlight Foundation
Budget and Deficit Transparency
Earlier this week, the Senate passed an amendment to the unemployment extenders bill that would require the Secretary of the Senate to post information related to the debt effect of each bill that passes the Senate. The vote was 100-0. Unaminous votes are pretty rare in the Senate. This one...
This article in the New Republic by Lisbet Rausing takes a look at the future of libraries and knowledge and the obstacles preventing scholarly knowledge and research from reaching the wider public over the web. I’ll just selectively quote below. The whole article is worth the read. Look at JSTOR (if...
The Transparency Campaign: Who We Are
A few weeks back, we asked members of our community to tell us a little about themselves: What are people looking for from our government? When it comes to transparency, what is the most important priority? What’s the best way we can build movement for open government at the state...
Massa, Maf54 and the Ethics Committee
And now to totally contradict my previous post stating why no one needs to talk about tickle-monster Eric Massa. The House voted today 404-2 to recommend that the House Ethics Committee reopen their probe into Massa’s misconduct and examine whether House leaders were aware of his misdeeds and whether they failed...
1) Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and a member of her staff are being called before a grand jury in Michigan. Details are not known, but her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, has faced a series of criminal charges over the past few years. 2) The House Appropriations Committee banned earmarks...
NYT: E-mails Indicate Deepening of Scandal Surrounding Sen. John Ensign
While everyone’s been running around writing about former congresstickler Eric Massa, Eric Lichtblau and Eric Lipton of the New York Times spent some time digging further into a congressional sex scandal that actually involved some kind of corruption. Previously undisclosed e-mail messages turned over to the F.B.I. and Senate ethics investigators...
EFF.org Updates
Fox and National Public Radio Have Something in Common: Taking Down Obvious Fair Uses
The Fox News Channel boasts that it takes a different approach to news coverage than, say, CBS, NBC, or NPR. But it appears Fox takes the same approach as its competitors when it comes to fair uses of its news coverage in political advertisements: to try to shut them...
The Beginning of the End of Data Retention
Last week, the German Constitutional Court issued a much-anticipated decision, striking down its data retention law as violating human rights. It was an important victory for Europe’s Freedom Not Fear movement, which was formed to oppose the EU Data Retention Directive. But it was also a reminder of the political...
Better U.S. Net Rules for Iran, Cuba and Syria
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Monday key amendments to the regulation of United States sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Sudan. The new provisions give a blanket license for the export of "certain services and software incident to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet, such...
New "Smart Meters" for Energy Use Put Privacy at Risk
The ebb and flow of gas and electricity into your home contains surprisingly detailed information about your daily life. Energy usage data, measured moment by moment, allows the reconstruction of a household's activities: when people wake up, when they come home, when they go on vacation, and maybe even...
UPDATED: All Your Apps Are Belong to Apple: The iPhone Developer Program License Agreement
The entire family of devices built on the iPhone OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) have been designed to run only software that is approved by Apple—a major shift from the norms of the personal computer market. Software developers who want Apple's approval must first agree to the iPhone Developer Program...
Adult Photography Record-Keeping and Inspection Law Threatens Free Speech, Privacy
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a friend-of-the-court brief today urging a federal court judge to block two criminal statutes that unconstitutionally limit the free expression of millions of adults who use the Internet and other electronic forms of communication, bringing the threat of criminal sanctions for...
The FOIA blog
House To Hold FOIA Oversight Hearing
On Thursday, March 18, 2010, the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing entitled: Administration of the Freedom of Information Act: Current Trends." The hearing will take......
Thanks to the Department of Justice for pointing this one out as it has gotten virtually no publicity. The FOIA has been amended--albeit slightly. Exemption 3 has been amended so that any law that is to be an exemption 3......
Are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Subject to FOIA?
That's the question being posed in a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, and the government is pushing forward with its position that the two entities that are now being run by the government are not subject to disclosure laws. Judicial......
The Food and Drug Administration has been ordered to disclose information on clinical studies of the drug known as Cipro by U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. The FDA had argued that certain of the......
Guide for Responding to FOIA Requests by Researchers Posted
The National Association for Biomedical Research has posted this guide for researchers responding to FOIA requests. The purpose of the guide is apparently to assist researchers in responding to requests by animal rights activists, who have used the FOIA to......
The Department of Justice is holding a FOIA Day event on March 15, 2010, which will feature Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder will speak on the one year anniversary of his FOIA guidelines and highlight "success stories." The event is......
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Blog
DCAA Looking for a New Director for the Western Region
So it seems like this blog is becoming a career development office (look at this entry if you don't know what I'm talking about). A reader just alerted us that there is now a job opening to be Regional Director......
Are Taxpayers Paying for Independent Cost Analysis to Be Ignored?
Yesterday's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) hearing, requested by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), revealed that the program is at risk of not delivering the promised number of aircraft, in part because the costs of the program have risen approximately 50......
Morning Smoke: Price Tag for Deepwater Up $1 Billion from Last Summer
CG: Deepwater costs rise to $27.4 billion by Susan Schept [Navy Times] Lockheed F-35 at Risk of Missing Goals, GAO Says by Tony Capaccio [Business Week] 6 Things to Look For in Dodd's Wall St. Bill by Andy Kroll [Mother......
Defense Department Hiring Whistleblowing and Transparency Manager for IG Office
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) has just created a new position. In a recent job posting, the DoD IG announced that they are currently soliciting applications for a “Whistleblowing and Transparency Manager.” According to the......
Changing of the Guard -- Two Longtime GSA Acquisition Officials Bow Out of Public Service
Change is in the air at the General Services Administration — at the top of the week, David Drabkin, the agency's former deputy chief acquisition officer, began his new job at Northrop Grumman. And then Tuesday brought news that Jim......
Morning Smoke: Hearing on Joint Strike Fighter This Morning
To receive testimony on the Joint Strike Fighter [Senate Armed Services Committee] Watchdog: GMAC bailout could cost taxpayers $6.3B by Daniel Wagner [Associated Press] Army plan takes fire from Congress, DoD, GAO by Kate Brennan [Military Times] Overworked U.S. Embassy......
The Fine Print: blog posts from OMBWatch
D.C. Court Rejects OMB Assertion of FOIA Exemptions
Today, the DC Circuit court reissued an opinion in Public Citizen v. OMB that rejected the agency’s use of exemptions 2 and 5 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). OMB had attempted to withhold information from Public Citizen that detailed which agencies submit materials to Congress without clearance by...
More Congressional Hearings to Address Citizens United
The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing tilted, "We the People? Corporate Spending in American Elections after Citizens United." During the hearing opponents of the ruling argued that the case exemplified that the Roberts Court has abandoned judicial restraint. Conversely, witness Bradley Smith, described the responses to the Citizens United...
Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Rule Sent to White House for Final Review
The Obama administration is nearing completion of a major federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in U.S. history. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation will jointly issue a rule regulating vehicle emissions by mandating increases in fuel efficiency over the coming years. Tuesday, EPA and...
Advisory Council Provides Recommendations on Faith-Based and Community Organizations
The Chronicle of Philanthropy ($$) details the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships' new report offering suggestions for the government in its work with charities. The panel provided a 164-page document which included recommendations to ensure that religious charities use government money only for secular activities. The panel was...
Earmarks: Inherently Bad or Just Broken?
<!--break--> You can always tell when the appropriations season is approaching because, somehow, earmarks, the shadowiest part of the appropriations process, always find a way of sneaking back into the political discourse. True to form, as we wait for Congress' budget resolution, today saw both the Democrats and Republicans announcing...
CTJ Shows Tax Proposals in Rep. Ryan's 'Roadmap' Lead to Disaster
<!--break--> In a report released yesterday, Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) critically examined the tax policies proposed recently in Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget alternative, titled conventionally, "A Roadmap for America's Future." Claims of the proposal "balancing the budget" and "reforming entitlements" have already been thoroughly debunked, but CTJ has...
open-government « WordPress.com Tag Feed
Gibson on open government: Glass is half full
TCOG Executive Director Frank Gibson kicks off Sunshine Week 2010 with a column on the status of ope...
Getting Out of Dodge: Why I Am Running For Lieutenant Governor...
ProSF Taxpayers Open Government Archive http://www.scribd.com/Public%20Records%20Information%20Clear...
From: SFSM [mailto:mail@csrsf.com] Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:09 AM To: ‘SFSM Information...
ProSF Taxpayers Open Government Archive http://www.scribd.com/Public%20Records%20Information%20Clear...
ProSF Taxpayers Open Government Archive http://www.scribd.com/Public%20Records%20Information%20Clear...
ProSF Taxpayers Open Government Archive http://www.scribd.com/Public%20Records%20Information%20Clear...
IDOG
Keep records public, for the benefit of the public
It's the kind of news that frightens any parent: A retired police officer, a former school resource officer, is jailed on child sexual abuse charges. So where was Stephen R. Young working, from 1995 to 2005? On Saturday, a Boise police spokesman wouldn't say. "The problem is, it's a personnel issue,...
Idaho Democrats have gone to the dark side
Say it ain't so! Idaho Democrats are going the way of their Republican brethren when it comes to government secrecy. The minority Democrats, with just 18 House seats and seven in the Senate, made the decision to caucus behind closed doors to maximize their effectiveness. That reason doesn't fly with us. Editorial from the...
Idaho Dems shut down open caucuses
Idaho’s House and Senate minority caucuses have voted to close their meetings to the public, saying they don’t want Republicans to get a glimpse of their game plan. “To maximize our effectiveness in the Legislature, we must take the field with every advantage that we can muster,” said House Assistant Minority...
Democrats do 180, shut out public
The legislative minority abandoned its argument that Democrats are the champions of transparency at the Legislature. From the Idaho Statesman...
Juvenile Court judge orders Pavlis bike fatality case sealed
A Boise boy has already made his first Juvenile Court appearance in the death of well-known cycling enthusiast Kevin Pavlis. But what happened in the courtroom remains a mystery, since 4th District Juvenile Judge William Harrigfeld is keeping the case sealed from the public. From the Idaho Statesman...
Ninth Circuit Judicial Council Approves Experimental Use of Cameras in District Courts
The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit, governing body for federal courts in the western states, has approved, on an experimental basis, the limited use of cameras in federal district courts within the circuit. From the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council...
Sunlight Labs blog
You've already heard me complain about data quality -- how it's a bigger problem than most people realize, and a harder problem than many people hope. But let's not leave it there! Perfect datasets mostly exist in textbooks and computer simulations. We need to figure out what...
Lobbyists and White House Visitors
Recently and continuously, the White House has been releasing the "White House Visitor Logs," showing America who is coming in to meet with the President and his staff. At the same time, the Center for Responsive Politics releases cleaned up data on lobbyist filings. We thought it'd be interesting to...
Every Non-Profit is an Open Government Non-Profit
Often times at Sunlight the non-profit community looks at us strangely. Here in Washington, DC we've probably made more investments in technology than any other non-profit or advocacy organization I've run across. Certainly our mission is focused around the use of technology, so that makes a lot of sense-- we're...
What if we Google Buzzed Government?
Following up on my hypothetical post on what would happen if Government had done the same thing that Google did with Google Buzz, I'd like to imagine something different: what if something like Google Buzz happened to government? What if, out of nowhere, the Executive Branch of government started exposing...
The above video -- put together by Noah, Ali & Greg, and featuring star turns by Daniel and Luigi's phone -- shows the current state of the door project I wrote about on Tuesday. It's working pretty well! I think I still need to add a bypass capacitor...
ClearMaps: A Mapping Framework for Data Visualization
Despite the recent explosion of web based cartography tools, making effective maps for data visualization remains a challenge. While tools like Google Maps are great for helping navigate the world they are often poorly suited for thematic mapping, as many features like roads and cities only get in the way...
Open-Government Blog
Judge Orders Release of Grays Harbor Audit of Planning Department
The (Aberdeen) Daily World and The (Montesano) Vidette requested records about an independent audit of the Grays Harbor Planning and Building Department. The audit was critical of the department's operations so the union representing department employees filed suit to block disclosure.It didn't work. The judge ordered the records...
This dispatch from Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center: "The House passed the amended version of HB 2617 last night – the bill does not eliminate the Sunshine Committee. Since the Senate previously adopted a bill that all kept the Sunshine Committee, it should be in the clear."...
Arizona School District Sues to Prevent Records Requests
Wow. You can be aggressive like this and sue people when, like the school district, your legal bills are paid with other people's money....
Supreme Court Hears Yakima Herald-Republic Case on Attorney Billing Records
The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Yakima Herald-Republic's case to obtain public defender billing records that show how $2 million was spent on one case.The Yakima Herald-Republic's story on the oral argumenet is here and the AP's is here. Background on the case is here.Video of...
Did Bellevue Violate the Open Public Meetings Act?
A majority of the Bellevue City Council apparently worked together on a letter to a transit agency regarding City business, reports Publicola....
This comes from Jason Mercier at the Washington Policy Center: "House Ways and Committee just adopted this amendment offered by Rep. Kessler to retain the state’s Sunshine Committee. The amendment passed unanimously."...
MNCOGI
Sunshine Week Event featuring Jane Kirtley
Jane KirtleyFreedom of Information: Your Key to Open GovernmentMonday, March 15, 2010 12:00 NoonJames J. Hill Reference Library80 West 4th Street, St. PaulEvent flyer ...
Chief Justice Magnuson Keynote at 21st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony
Freedom of Information advocates hear Chief Justice Magnuson, honor local newspaper editor Anfinson and promote open accessEvent flyer Chief Justice Eric J. Magnuson will deliver the keynote speech at the 21st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony on Tuesday, March 16, Noon-1:00 at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Auditorium. Chief...
Sunshine Week 2010 Webcast – Building Transparency
Friday, March 19, 201011:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST Participants in past Sunshine Week webcasts have expressed a preference for viewing/participating from their own office rather than gathering for a group view.No registration required.The link will be available 24 hrs. prior to the event at the SW event page....
Reed Anfinson Receives John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award
February 8, 2010 -- The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI) announced today that Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, will receive the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Anfinson will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day recognition event, on Tuesday, March...
IPAD Open Meeting Law Workshop
The Information Policy Analysis Division will present a half-day Open Meeting Law workshop on January 27 in St. Paul. The workshop offers a practical look at how public bodies in Minnesota can meet their obligations under the Open Meeting Law (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D).What: Open Meeting Law WorkshopWhen: Wednesday, January...
White House Launches Comprehensive Open Government Plan
December 8, 2009 -- The Obama administration released the Comprehensive Open Government Plan today. Administered through the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the president demanded the directive be built around three main principles - transparency, participation, and collaboration. Specific requirements and deadlines are outlined for all agencies,...
MaineOpenGov Blog
Maine Teachers Union calls for higher taxes
The Maine Teachers Union met Tuesday night with more than 200 teachers and several members of the Maine Legislature at......
Maine legislator wants cell phone regulations
Again we find Maine leading the way in the wrong direction. In a story that is making national headlines, Maine......
Obama issues "Open Government Directive"
Two quick thoughts about Obama's directive to make government more accountable. First, he asked this directive (11 pages total) to......
Maine spending more tax dollars on art
They are at it again. Our friends at the Maine Arts Commission are looking for artists to complete three art......
Maine DOT official admits need to "prioritize" spending
In a refreshing bit of news out of Augusta this morning, a deputy commissioner for the Maine Department of Transportation......
Maine's Nanny State ways continue
We hear today from the anti-business, Maine "environmental officials" who are letting us know that "federal laws to protect the......
Local Open Government Blog
Supreme Court to Consider Disclosure of Copies of Documents Placed Under Seal by a Court
The Seattle Times reported on the Supreme Court arguments in a dispute between the Yakima Herald-Republic and Yakima County regarding the disclosure of copies of court documents. The dispute involves the billing records of defense attorneys in a murder case that were placed under seal by a judge. The judiciary is exempt...
Bellevue City Council Members Allege Open Public Meetings Act Violations
Publicola is reporting that members of the Bellevue City Council are accusing the majority of violating the Open Public Meetings Act by negotiating the text of a letter to Sound Transit without holding an open public meeting. The council members allege that the letter regarding the future location of a light...
FCC Sees Broadband and Social Media as Building Blocks of More Open and Transparent Government
The FCC’s Government Operations Director Eugene Huang recently discussed how the forthcoming National Broadband Plan broadband access will help transform how citizens interact with the federal government. In his comments at M.I.T.’s Center for Future Civic Media, Huang discussed the need to make primary legal documents “free and publically available online.” Huang...
The preservation and destruction of public records is governed by Chapter 40.14 RCW. Local Governments are responsible for adopting appropriate records retention policies and procedures. The local records committee establishes retention schedules for different types of local governments that specify retention periods applicable to different categorizes of public records. These schedules...
Pennsylvania Court Denies Blanket Exemption for Homeland Security Purchases
A Pennsylvania appeals court recently overturned a trial court ruling that allowed the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to withhold the complete list of the recipients of goods and services PEMA purchased with Homeland Security funds in response to a disclosure request from a Pittsburgh newspaper reporter. Bowling v. Office...
In response to a suit filed by the NAACP, a Maryland Court of Appeals decided that the Maryland State Police (MSP) must produce certain internal affairs files. In 2003, the NAACP and MSP entered into a federal consent decree to address claims of racial profiling. In 2007, the NAACP sought...
FOI FYI
Shields up! Contact your U.S. senator today! (or at least before Thursday)
Now is the time to contact your U.S. senator to support the federal shield law. On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider passing S. 448, the Free Flow of Infomation Act. The bill isn't perfect, but it would provide projection to people who commit acts of journalism from willy-nilly...
Programming Note: We've Moved!
The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the FOI FYI blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to...
Documents called the bluff of military's reporter profiling
Kudos to the Stars and Stripes for showing through government records that the military has been rating the tenor of reporters' news coverage and denying access based on the journalists' perceived negativity (see Stars and Stripes coverage). For some time the military denied that its hired PR firm rated reporters as...
Judge says Fed must divulge bailout beneficiaries
Today a New York district court judge ruled that the Federal Reserve Board must provide records identifying financial firms that received bailout money. According to a Bloomberg story, the Feds refused to provide the records to Bloomberg, saying that if the public knew which companies took loans then it might shake...
Pentagon using PR firm to screen reporters' coverage before embedding them
According to Stars and Stripes, the Rendon Group is evaluating the work of reporters seeking to be embedded with units in Afghanistan to determine if their coverage of the war is "positive, neutral or negative." Rendon is the PR firm that helped tout the claims of Iraq's alleged weapons of...
Speak out against Big Brother monitoring of press interviews
Ever have a federal agency insist that interviews with government employees be supervised by a public relations officer? This practice is out of control and we are urging the Obama administration to put a stop to it. You can help. The Association of Health Care Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists...
FOI Oklahoma
Tulsa County assessor balks at making written request for recording of public meeting
Tulsa County's assessor says he shouldn't be required to fill out a form to obtain the audio tape of a meeting of a public body to which he belongs, the Tulsa World reported Monday.Ken Yazel said that as a member of the Tulsa County Budget Board, "I ought to...
All 5 gubernatorial candidates to participate in Sunshine Conference
Congresswoman Mary Fallin will join the four other gubernatorial candidates in an open government forum Saturday during the third-annual Sunshine Week conference.Oklahoma Sunshine ’10: Privacy, Politicians & the Public’s Need to Know will be held at The Oklahoman, 9000 N. Broadway, Oklahoma City.The conference's afternoon session will feature a question-and-answer...
State employees lobby legislators to exempt birth dates; OKC school district releases workers' DOBs
State employees will be at the Capitol on Tuesday lobbying legislators to close off public access to government workers' birth dates and protesting The Oklahoman's attempt to keep the information public, the Oklahoma Public Employees Association said Monday."We cannot let The Oklahoman win," OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley told members....
Askins to participate in open government forum at Sunshine Conference
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will join other gubernatorial candidates in an open government forum during the third-annual Sunshine Week conference.Oklahoma Sunshine ’10: Privacy, Politicians & the Public’s Need to Know will be held March 13 at The Oklahoman, 9000 N. Broadway, Oklahoma City.The conference's afternoon session will feature a question-and-answer...
Incumbents promising open government win re-election in Norman
Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal and Ward 4 Councilor Carol Dillingham were re-elected Tuesday night, the Norman Transcript reported.Each has pledged, "I and the public bodies that I am elected to govern will comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."By...
Open Government Pledge signer wins seat on McAlester City Council
Steve Harrison won a seat on the McAlester City Council, the McAlester News-Capital reported Tuesday night.A former acting city treasurer, Harrison had signed FOI Oklahoma Inc.'s Open Government Pledge that McAlester city government would "comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open...