We’ve gathered here some stories and reporting packages we think you’ll applaud – and that may spark your own creativity.
Sunshine Week, March 13-20, inspired many of these, including FOI audits in several states, but most could be done anytime.
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Your Right to Know? Please Wait, Thank You
Walk into one of the 32 towns served by the Westchester NY News Journal with a simple public records request and you might walk right out with the information -- or wait hours, or months, “assuming you get past an aide at the front desk who may tell you that the information doesn't exist, even when it does.” The paper audited the public records law compliance of the three county area with very mixed results but a superb package of more than a dozen stories on “Your Right to Know” that prompted several area legislators to promise to go back to Albany and seek tougher compliance measures. (3/23/05)
- Citizens’ Efforts: Not Easy, or Cheap
Across Oregon, Requests Were Met With Suspicion
Project Open Oregon, organized by the Associated Press Newspaper Executives and by the Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, turned up different in interpretations of state law, and a variety of practices aimed at discouraging requestors. Auditors sent out by local newspapers were wrongly asked for identification, questioned about their motives, told the records were unavailable, warned there could be a significant cost or asked to fill out detailed forms.
Return Visits in Iowa Show Some Progress, Many Problems
Fifteen Iowa newspapers and a Drake University journalism class checked the public records law compliance of city, school and police offices in an audit that replicated a study five years ago. The State of Secrecy project found both improvement and continuing problems – and a few anomalies: a copy of an incident report in Des Moines cost $15; the same record in a nearby town 15 cents. The Des Moines Register report on the project also provided excellent graphics. (3/23/05)
- AG Advisories on the Public Records Law
Out of Scandal, a Progressive Law
The Texas Public Records Law is considered one of the best in the country. Sen. John Cornyn, a former state attorney general, is using it as a model for reforms he’s proposing in the U.S Freedom of Information Act. But it was a law born of scandal, The Austin American Statesman reported, retelling the tale of a stock fraud scheme that sucked in dozens of state legislators. The package included a look at the current law and pending changes, and a look at the practices of a number of local agencies. (3/23/05)
Public Records Becoming Less Public
More federal documents are being classified, fewer declassified. More people are making FOIA requests, fewer are being fully granted. And many federal agencies are taking still longer to grant requests, the Baltimore Sun reported in telling the stories of several advocacy groups that regularly use public records to make their cases on public policy questions. The paper also looked at how citizens groups are faring with their state records requests. (3/23/05)
Reporters Aren't the Only Ones Who Use Public Records
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution told its readers what we all know: “Reporters aren't the only ones who use Open Records laws to find out what their government is or isn't doing.” Then it proceeded to tell that story with a series of vignettes of Georgians who have used public records to counter school violence, real estate fraud, and monitor environmental hazards. Sidebars:
• Detailed the public records law.
• Provided a list of resources and experts citizens could call on.
• Identified and phone numbers for key state officials.
• Reviewed open records bills currently before the legislature.
• Summarized 10 stories reported during the previous year and explained how public records played an important role in making each of the reports possible.
• A timeline for a citizen’s zoning/development fight, starting with the developer’s filing plans to the district court hearing, with sections on “what’s on the record” and “what you can do” at every step.
A Primer on Transparency and the General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly makes a practice of closing joint committee meetings to work out differences on such legislative decisions as hundred million dollar bond deals. The legislators have specifically exempted themselves from the state’s open meetings law, and they justify the secrecy by saying it promotes more candid debate – candor that is never shared with the public. The Wilmington News Journal took a long look at the practice and some of the results of the secrecy. It also sketched the open meetings law provisions affecting every other public official.
Tracking the Treatment of Armed Forces Back Home
Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau set out in early 2004 to answer a timely but seemingly simple question. How well do we treat our armed forces after they come home? It filed a series of FOIA requests for information on benefits handling and disability compensation. The Veterans Administration refused the requests. KR sued and got the records, which when analyzed showed lengthy delays, inconsistent rulings, and often incompetence by the veteran representatives assigned to help them. In addition to the basic report, the bureau did several other things to drive the story home.
• It also gave materials to individual Knight Ridder papers ahead of time to develop local sidebars.
• It posted online charts and graphs that let readers easily compare the greatly varying performance of their local VA offices.
• It also posted video and audio clips of veterans telling their personal benefits horror stories.
• It set up message boards and interactive forums with reporters.
Resource Guides on Records Access
The San Francisco Bay Guardian published and posted a Citizen’s Guide to fighting secret government and listing local and national organizations that offer a wide range of resources for anyone who wants to track information about their local, state or national government.
Public Record Users Tell Their Story
As part of Sunshine Week, The Idaho Statesman asked its readers to write about how they use open records and meetings and why transparency in government is important to them. Typical was a parent’s story of his battle for school information. The reports added a human touch to the newspaper’s extensive open government package which also featured a look at which public records, agency by agency, may have some value to citizens. (3/30/05)
