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Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate

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Category: 2008 Columns

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the FOIC.

December: Signed, sealed, delivered–but not yours

December 4, 2008January 24, 2018By Christa Westerberg

“Case closed.” These are words you expect to hear when a court case is completed-the defendant has been found guilty or innocent, the parties have settled, or the case is dismissed. But “case closed” may have another meaning in Wisconsin. Currently, dozens of ongoing cases in Wisconsin are fully or partially sealed from public view, […]

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November: State employees: Public servants, not secret agents

November 4, 2008January 24, 2018By Tim Kelley

Not that long ago, I was working for you. I was a public employee of the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin, and I was even a bit proud of that status: Government by the people, and all that. Of course, working for the public meant that my bosses – readers like you – were […]

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September: Ask candidates for office about open government issues

October 13, 2008By Richard Mial

Openness in government is critical to democracy. Wisconsin state law makes that clear in this high-minded preamble to the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law: “In recognition of the fact that a representative government of the American type is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the policy of this state that the public […]

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October: Openness watchdog turns 30

October 10, 2008January 24, 2018By Bill Lueders

In October 1978, a group of 21 representatives of state print and broadcast media met at the offices of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Their collective goal: To “have more clout, become more of a fist, serve a stronger warning [and] have a bigger impact” in defending rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. The result was […]

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August: Respect the rights of news photographers

August 4, 2008January 24, 2018By Bill Lueders

A picture, they say, is worth 1,000 words. The television and print photographers who take them play a vital role in keeping the public informed. It’s a job that requires much skill, and sometimes entails great risk. News photographers in Wisconsin have been attacked, threatened, arrested, and had their cameras and film confiscated. They have […]

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July: Supreme Court rulings impact open government

July 16, 2008January 24, 2018By Christa O. Westerberg

Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings present a mixed bag that still lends some support to open government advocates by providing new guidance to citizens and government bodies. First, the open government wins: — State of Wisconsin v. Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation clarified when allegedly private entities are subject to the public records and open […]

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June: Crandon shooting: Secrecy leaves questions unanswered

June 16, 2008January 24, 2018WisFOIC

“Is this really news anymore?” That was one of the anonymous comments posted on the Green Bay Press-Gazette Web site May 29 in reaction to an Associated Press story about what we’re told is the last release of documents related to the tragic shooting in Crandon more than eight months ago. The killing spree claimed […]

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May: Police should share basic crime information

May 16, 2008January 24, 2018WisFOIC

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a strong and important opinion this month favoring the public’s right to know about traffic accidents and crime in local communities. Van Hollen agreed with state newspapers that basic information identifying people in accident and incident reports is open to public inspection under Wisconsin law. It doesn’t matter that […]

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April: Is it time to modernize public records law?

April 16, 2008January 24, 2018WisFOIC

Wisconsin has a long history of providing the public with access to its governmental records. Indeed, the state enacted the first of its public records laws in 1917. The current public records statutes were enacted in 1983. Microfilm was the “whiz bang” technology for storing government records in 1983. Other exciting technologies of the day […]

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March: Openness group doles out honors

April 16, 2008January 24, 2018By Bill Lueders

As part of national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its second annual Opee Awards in recognition of people and institutions which have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin during the last year. The honorees are: Political Openness Advocate of the Year (the “Popee”): Wisconsin Supreme Court. […]

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February: Does Wisconsin need a shield law?

April 16, 2008January 24, 2018By Dave 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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January: Don’t erase criminal charges from online records

January 16, 2008January 24, 2018By Dee J. Hall

On the surface, it seems like a simple, fair change to Wisconsin court procedures: If you escape conviction, your case can be erased from online records. But the possible consequence of such a fundamental change in public records access is more complicated – and the matter is so contentious that a Legislative Council committee did […]

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Recent Posts

  • March: Opees awards honor and chastise
  • February: Public still paying for fraud probe records fights
  • January: Here’s to a more transparent 2023
  • December: Prehn records fight seeks accountability
  • November: Don’t pay too much for that photocopy!

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4 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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