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Author: Dave Zweifel

January: Gun permit secrecy shields law’s impact

January 4, 2012January 24, 2018Dave Zweifel

Wisconsin citizens who obtain a simple permit now have the right to carry concealed weapons, in most public places. According to the governor and the majority of state legislators, that’s going to make the state a safer place. Unfortunately, though, we’ll never know for sure. That’s because the Legislature saw fit to exempt the permitting […]

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November: Open up complaints against lawyers

November 6, 2010January 24, 2018Dave Zweifel

The case of Ken Kratz, the “sexting” former Calumet County district attorney, suggests the state of Wisconsin needs to revamp its rules regarding the regulation of lawyers, especially those on the public payroll. Stephanie Van Groll, a victim of domestic violence, blew the whistle on Kratz, deserves credit for standing up to his disgusting behavior. […]

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May: Public notice change should be stopped in its tracks

May 19, 2009January 24, 2018Dave Zweifel

Perhaps the Democrats on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee thought this would be a good time to kick newspapers while they’re down. For many legislators, newspapers do tend to be a pain in the butt, after all. But really what they did this month, when on a strict 12-4 party-line vote they decided to end […]

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February: Does Wisconsin need a shield law?

April 16, 2008January 24, 2018Dave Zweifel

State Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) is proposing legislation to create a state “shield law” for news media. Thirty-two states already have such laws, which protect a journalist’s right to keep confidential the sources and material gathered during reporting. The Utah Supreme Court recently passed a rule to create a similar privilege there. The need for […]

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Recent Posts

  • January: Remote access to meetings is not ideal
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2 years ago
Wisconsin Supreme Court punts on John Doe records fight

It will be up to a Brown County circuit court judge to decide the fate of thousands of pages of evidence collected during the probe.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is punting for now on an ongoing fight over records collected during the now-closed secret investigation into Gov. Scott Walker and Republican

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2 years ago
April: Policies put public health at risk

April's Your Right To Know: Withholding information puts the public's health at risk.

Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council: Safeguarding access state and local government and defending freedom of the press since 1978.

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2 years ago
February: Citizens have a right to electronic records

February's Your Right To Know: Computers make it easy to view the records of government and the Legislature should change its policies to reflect that, according to Council member John Foust.

Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council: Safeguarding access state and local government and defending freedom of the press since 1978.

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3 years ago
Judge: Wisconsin lawmaker should have provided electronic copies of open records

Ever requested records in electronic form and get a stack of paper? This requester did.

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