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July 2008 - Posts

Thursday, July 31, 2008 8:51 PM

Cheap e-mail archiving software eliminates technical barriers to access

Sometimes public agencies deny public records requests for e-mail by saying they don't have a way to archive it or that it would be too expensive to manage it. They can't use that excuse anymore. Today Waterford Technologies in California posted a press
posted by DavidCuillier | 2 Comments
Thursday, July 31, 2008 8:37 PM

Tennessee court rules that private prisons must release documents

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then it must be a public agency subject to public records law. A Tennessee judge ruled this week that a private prison is subject to the state public records law because it fulfills a
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 6:38 PM

Federal shield law bill stalls - contact the "no" birds!

Today the federal shield law failed to move through the U.S. Senate, caught in the middle of a partisan fight over what to do about gas prices (see Washington Post story), but there's still a chance if a revised version can get to a floor vote in September.
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Friday, July 18, 2008 1:53 AM

Rhode Island attorney general sues city for records law violations

I love Rhode Island. How many other states provide the attorney general the power to sue  agencies that violate the open records law on behalf of citizens? That should be the standard in every state. According to a story in the The Providence Journal,
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 17, 2008 12:01 PM

Michigan Supreme Court rulings damage transparency

Two state Supreme Court rulings in Michigan on Wednesday hurt access to police records and information about public employees (see story). In one case, the court determined that exempt personal information now includes home addresses and telephone numbers
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:18 PM

Essay winner: Presidential candidates should disclose health records

This month's Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism Award went to a United Kingdom resident who says the public is entitled to see U.S. presidential candidates' health records to know for sure that they are getting a president who will last the term. Dorothy
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Friday, July 11, 2008 4:52 PM

FOI issues highlighted at the 2008 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference

Hear from FOI experts on a variety of topics, including new FOI amendments, courtroom education, getting the facts you need from politicians and much more at the 2008 SPJ Conference & National Journalism Convention, Sept. 4-7 in Atlanta, Ga. Listed
posted by JoeSkeel | 0 Comments
Friday, July 11, 2008 1:02 AM

Wacky agency of the month: Cameras in court would show our inept magistrates

This story out of Arizona regarding cameras in courtrooms will make you shutter - with laughter. A court rule is being considered by the state Supreme Court to require judges to outline their arguments for prohibiting cameras in the courtroom. Currently,
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 10, 2008 11:52 PM

Newspaper nails story about excessive data copy fees

Officials in Horry County, S.C., want to charge a newspaper $284 for data that probably shouldn't cost more than $25, if anything. The county wants to charge $130 in programming fees and then 10 cents per record for 1,541 records. That's outrageous.
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:15 AM

House passes bill to require White House to keep e-mails

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Electronic Message Preservation Act (H.R. 5811) Wednesday by a vote of 286 to 137, scoring a victory for openness in federal agency e-mails. In particular, the bill would preserve White House e-mails and
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 11:51 PM

FOI Tip: Request training/travel records and then verify through e-mails

Judge Kelly A. MacEachern of Orange County, Calif., probably thought nobody would notice that she was paid to attend a weeklong class in San Diego but actually attended only part of it and instead spent time at Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and kayaking,
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:57 AM

Harnessing cyber records: House to consider bill preserving White House e-mails

The U.S. House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on H.R. 5811 (Electronic Communications Preservation Act), which would require the U.S. Archivist to establish standards for the capture, management and preservation of White House e-mails, and to issue regulations
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, July 07, 2008 5:28 PM

DOJ keeps secret a list of 10,815 people who bought bogus degrees from diploma mill

The Department of Justice is keeping secret a list of 10,815 people who bought fake degrees from a Spokane, Wash., diploma mill to get promotions and enhanced retirements, including people from countries that harbor terrorists. Court hearings showed that
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Monday, July 07, 2008 3:01 PM

The late Jesse Helms fought for FOI

An insightful blog item posted by Steven Aftergood on his "Secrecy News" blog points out that Sen. Jesse Helms, who died July 4, was an outspoken critic of government secrecy. That might surprise some people who assume FOI is a "liberal" issue, but the
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, July 07, 2008 2:50 PM

Access to records and meetings looking better in New York

A half-dozen positive legislative bills await the governor's signature in New York, continuing an awesome year of increased openness around the country (see story in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle). Some of the new provisions, provided Gov.
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Friday, July 04, 2008 3:09 PM

White House fights to keep global warming document hidden

According to Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, the White House has quietly been fighting to suppress a report finished in December by the Environmental Protection Agency that could become the foundation for tighter regulations of greenhouse gas emissions,
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Thursday, July 03, 2008 1:18 PM

Happy 42nd birthday, FOIA! (or is it happy? CJOG report glum)

On the eve of the 42nd anniversary of the federal Freedom of Information Act, signed into law July 4, 1966, the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government released its annual report on FOIA performance, titled "An Opportunity Lost." According to the
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:31 AM

Police incident reports now must be made available in Mississippi

Police in Mississippi now must provide basic incident reports daily, including the offense, suspects and where and when a crime took place. According to news reports, compliance was been mixed Tuesday when the new law went into effect.Twenty years ago
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 12:44 AM

College editors sue Georgia college over budget cuts

Student editors at Armstrong Atlantic State University's paper, The Inkwell, filed suit Monday against the university, saying the university slashed the newspaper's budget in retaliation for criticizing the administration. In March, the budget was cut
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 11:09 PM

FOI Tip (from sociologists): Use "informants" to get inside

Ever feel like public officials don't take you or your records request seriously? Ever run across discrimination because you are a woman, nonwhite, short, obese, or just plain different than the white male officials you deal with? You aren't alone. At
posted by DavidCuillier | 2 Comments
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 10:42 PM

Old and moldy pending crime investigations can be kept secret, Georgia court rules

In a major setback for access to information in criminal cases, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that police can withhold documents in investigations that are still open, even if they've been unsolved for decades, reports Georgia SPJ Sunshine Chair Johnny
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments