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Jan. 23, 2014
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of Jan. 23, 2014 meeting Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order and introductions. The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, Steve Lovejoy, Mark Stodder, Dave Haynes, Michael Buelow, Tom Bier, Doug Wojcik, Mary Callen, Beth Bennett, Gordon Govier, Mark Pitsch, Bob […]
Continue ReadingOct. 3, 2013
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Oct. 3, 2013 Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 2:05. In attendance were Dee J. Hall, Bill Lueders, Christa Westerberg, Jim Palmer (guest), Bob Dreps, Mark Stodder, Beth Bennett, Chris Hardie, Mary Callen, Doug Wojcik, April Barker (guest), Michelle Vetterkind, Sean Dwyer, […]
Continue ReadingJune: Media need photos to tell the story
In early May the newspaper I work for, the Wisconsin State Journal, requested the official portraits of the Madison police officers involved in the fatal shooting a few days earlier of a man police say had just stabbed two women to death. Although he’d released the officers’ names, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval initially balked […]
Continue ReadingInvestigative reporter Umhoefer to receive Wisconsin Watchdog Award
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Dave Umhoefer, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 investigation into pension padding in Milwaukee County, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. The award is a highlight of the fourth annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, presented jointly by the Wisconsin Center […]
Continue ReadingAction alert on bill to gut information on WCCA (CCAP)
SB 526, the bill that would purge the state’s online records system of information about criminal cases that do not lead to convictions, or are overturned on appeal, passed a Senate committee yesterday on a 5-0 vote. The bill is now available for a full Senate vote. This is the most serious attempt to date […]
Continue ReadingMarch: Walker must answer questions on emails
Like many other people in Wisconsin, I spent some time recently digging into the 27,000 pages of emails released from the John Doe probe into alleged illegal activities by the staff of then-Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. I was somewhat surprised to find my name appear. In June of 2010, amid the hotly contested race […]
Continue ReadingSeeking Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award nominations
Nominations are being sought for the 2014 Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award, presented annually to recognize an individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin. Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times and a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, was named the inaugural winner in 2011. The late Dick […]
Continue ReadingDecember: Lawmaker contacts shouldn’t be secret
Sandy Whisler was surprised to see her name appear on the Wisconsin State Journal’s editorial page — not in a letter to the editor, which she sometimes writes, but in a Nov. 20 editorial. Whisler, a retired educator in Lake Mills, had emailed four state legislators urging them to hold hearings on proposed bills to […]
Continue ReadingNovember: Don’t shield donor employer info
State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, would like to change the way Wisconsin records campaign donations. He’s introduced a bill to raise the threshold for when donors to state and local campaigns must disclose their occupations from its current level of more than $100 to more than $500. The bill would also eliminate the requirement […]
Continue ReadingStatement on claims of legislative immunity to state Open Records Law
A statement by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council regarding new claims that state lawmakers are effectively immune from the state’s Open Records Law. Statement on claims of legislative immunity to state Open Records Law September 13, 2013 The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is shocked and saddened that a member of the state Legislature is, […]
Continue ReadingThe trend of redacting names from police reports
From WLUK Fox 11 in Green Bay, a report on the trend of redacting information on police reports.
Continue ReadingApril 18, 2013
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council April 18, 2013 Capital Newspapers Auditorium 1) Call to order. Meeting was called to order at 2:06 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, Steve Lovejoy, Chris Hardie, Jason Maddux, Andy Hall, Dave Zweifel, Gina Duwe, April Barker, Michael Buelow, Tom Bier, Christa Westerberg, Bill Lueders, Bob Dreps, Mark Pitsch, John […]
Continue ReadingJuly: Don’t exempt UW-Madison from records law
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has requested that the state Legislature grant it an exemption from Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. The proposed legislation, if passed, would limit public access to university records and diminish independent scrutiny of the state’s flagship university. In pursuit of this exemption, UW-Madison officials have circulated proposed language, initially to a list […]
Continue ReadingJune: Voucher schools should be more open
Back in 1990, when Milwaukee launched the nation’s first publicly funded voucher program, participating schools could enroll no more than 49 percent voucher students. These schools were considered private, because the majority of their students paid private tuition. Fast-forward to 2013. Now, more than half of Milwaukee’s 110 voucher schools have at least 95 percent […]
Continue ReadingJan. 13, 2013
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Jan. 13, 2013Capital Newspapers Auditorium1) Call to order. Meeting was called to order at 3:05 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, ChristaWesterberg, Bill Lueders, Bob Drechsel, Mark Pitsch, Roger Schneider, John Dye, Mary Callen, BethBennett, Gina Duwe, Dan Flannery, Jason Maddux, Sean Dwyer, Doug Wojcik, Dave Zweifel, Tom Bier,Andy Hall, […]
Continue ReadingApril: Child-care, elder records easier to get
Journalists and others often have cause to complain about the difficulties of prying public information from public officials. But sometimes there are reasons for optimism. Wisconsin has one of the nation’s best systems for accessing court records, through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. The system has saved county clerks of court countless hours providing this information. […]
Continue ReadingStatement on John Doe records
A statement by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council: As a rule, emails created by public officials that discuss government business and policies are the public’s property and should be available to the public. But hundreds, and possibly thousands, of emails created in secret by some of former Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s office staff […]
Continue ReadingMarch: Don’t hike cost of public records
A ruling last year by the Wisconsin Supreme Court involving the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel became the focus of attention Feb. 27, when a state Assembly committee held a public hearing on a bill, AB 26, that would drastically increase the cost of obtaining public records. The bill, if approved, would let custodians of public records […]
Continue ReadingHearing set on bill to create new tax on public records
As we were expecting, a bill to allow custodians to impose a new fee for the time they spend reviewing and redacting records has been introduced in the current legislative session. It is AB 26. The text is here. This bill has been scheduled for a hearing next Wednesday, Feb. 27, in Room 225 of […]
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