NY law will needlessly delay release of public records
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The public has a right to access public records and government meetings at the state level.
Public records and open meetings laws allow journalists and the public to understand what state governments are up to by giving them access to government records and meetings.
But far too often, state officials ignore these laws. Journalists who request records or assert their right to attend public meetings are often shut out by refusals to comply, delays, or overbroad interpretations of exemptions. In some states, lawmakers are working to chip away at the public’s right of access to government records.
Featured Items
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New prize rewards making public records truly public
Dear Friend of Press Freedom:One of the most important press freedom cases in the country deserves far more attention: Journalist Catherine Herridge has paid at least $4,000 in fines for refusing to reveal a confidential source, and she’ll owe even more unless the Supreme Court steps in. Plus: a …
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New $25K ‘Penlight’ journalism award honors paywall-free FOIA reporting
The Penlight Prize celebrates paywall-free reporting based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act or state public records laws.
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Exposing Paramount’s press freedom sellout
FBI investigates yet another news story critical of Kash Patel
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Brought to you by leaks
Plus: A journalist’s fight for transparency in the U.S. Virgin Islands
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A journalist’s campaign to fix public records law in the U.S. Virgin Islands
If journalists don’t advocate for their own rights, who will?
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Puerto Rico may roll back transparency just when it matters the most
Gov. Jenniffer González Colón should reject SB 63, a new bill that rewrites the territory’s public records law for the worse
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Censorship by invoice: Public records cost $164,000 in Michigan township
A six-figure bill for public records is a good indicator that the government is hiding something
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LA sheriff ducks journalist’s request for deputy photographs
ICE won’t be the only secret police in town if the department gets its way
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Wired and 404 Media make FOIA reporting free. Other news outlets should too
We spoke to Katie Drummond of Wired, Joseph Cox of 404 Media, and Lauren Harper of Freedom of the Press Foundation about the case for unpaywalling public records-based reporting
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Public records expert: ‘We can do better’
David Cuillier explains how the ‘death of transparency’ affects us all, and how our public records laws must change.
