Pandemic shuts down access to information
Governments at all levels are shutting down access to information and conducting business out of the public eye during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Journalists put ‘the public’ in public records
A $2.7 million charge for a Breathalyzer database that other states turned over for free. A secret hearing that exonerated a judge caught stealing a Cartier watch worth $4,000. Police departments withholding the names of police arrested for drunken driving — even while they released mugshots of other DUI offenders. Boston Globe reporter Todd Wallack …
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No, government is not too open
Executive Editor Charles Lewis debated Stanford Professor Bruce Cain on March 15 at the University of Missouri about whether there is too much transparency — or not enough — in the federal government.The event was digitally recorded and sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs. …
iFOIA’s new site features tracking
iFOIA acts as a cloud service in which journalists can store all of their records requests online, sorted by project. Federal agencies are required to respond to FOIA requests within 20 business days.
