Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
For immediate release Contact: Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712 The Wisconsin Supreme Court has rendered an important decision, affirming that the state’s open records law means what it says when it limits public officials to charging records requesters for just the “actual, necessary and direct cost” of making copies and in some cases locating and sending […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of the July 14, 2011 meetingCapital Newspapers auditorium 1) Meeting was called to order at 2:03 p.m. Present were Bill Lueders, Christa Westerberg, DeeHall, Michelle Vetterkind, Beth Bennett, Bob Drechsel, Bob Dreps, Steve Lovejoy, Andy Hall, RogerSchneider, Mike Buelow, Gina Duwe, John Foust, Anita Weier, Mary Callen. 2) Approval […]
Continue ReadingFor decades, a one-man toll booth operated at either the Martin Luther King Boulevard or West Washington Avenue entrances to Wisconsin’s Capitol. “Hey, what do you know?” Dick Wheeler, the dean of the Capitol press corps, would ask anyone entering or leaving. Wheeler, left hand holding his pipe, asked the question to the powerful and […]
Continue ReadingMarch 23, 2012 Contact:Kenneth Bunting, NFOIC executive director, (573) 882-3075, buntingk@missouri.eduBill Lueders, WFOIC president, (608) 669-4712, blueders@wisconsinwatch.org COLUMBIA, MO — Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, has been chosen to deliver the keynote address at the 2012 FOI Summit May 11 and 12 in Madison, […]
Continue ReadingThe decision released today by a panel of federal judges in Milwaukee contains some strong language regarding the secrecy of the process. It says (p. 5) that “Every effort was made to keep this work out of the public eye” and (p. 34) called the bill’s drafting “needlessly secret, regrettably excluding input from the […]
Continue ReadingThe Baraboo News Republic describes its Opee award and the connection to its two sister publications.
Continue ReadingMarch 11 through 17 is Sunshine Week. Wisconsin has some of the strongest “sunshine laws” in the country, and I salute all of the Wisconsin records custodians, meeting organizers and others who diligently perform their duties under these laws. This spring, an important public records case is pending in our Wisconsin Supreme Court: Milwaukee Journal […]
Continue ReadingThis Wisconsin Rapids Tribune article describes the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort’s desire for concealed carry permits to be made public.
Continue ReadingThe Appleton Post-Crescent describes the Opee award for Hilbert Village President Ken Stenklyft, who resigned his county board seat rather than stay silent about an open records issue.
Continue ReadingFebruary 16, 2012 Contact:Kenneth Bunting, NFOIC executive director, (573) 882-3075, buntingk@missouri.eduBill Lueders, WFOIC president, (608) 669-4712, blueders@wisconsinwatch.org COLUMBIA, MO — The National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) announced that it will join the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (WFOIC) in hosting the 2012 FOI Summit in Madison, WI, May 11-12. The annual FOI Summit, a […]
Continue ReadingThe Lakeland Times covers the story of the efforts of State Sen. Jim Holperin’s efforts to end the Legislature’s exemption from the public records retention law.
Continue ReadingHere’s a funny and instructive video on the right of citizens to take photos in public, courtesy of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJan. 31, 2012CONTACT: Andy Hall, 608-262-3642, ahall@wisconsinwatch.org Journalist Dick Wheeler chosen for Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award Dick Wheeler, the late founder of the Wheeler Report, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award in recognition of his four decades of tirelessly opening Wisconsin state government to public scrutiny. The […]
Continue ReadingWis. Freedom of Information Council to honor whistleblower, openness advocates The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a state group devoted to protecting public access to meetings and records, is seeking nominees from news organizations and others for its annual Opee Awards, which are presented in March, just prior to national Sunshine Week, which this year […]
Continue ReadingNovember 11, 2011 Chief Edward FlynnMilwaukee Police Department951 North James Lovell StreetMilwaukee, WI 53233 Re: Recent Photojournalists’ Arrests Dear Chief Flynn: The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (“WFOIC”) writes this letter to express its concern about the Department’s recent arrests of photojournalists performing their duties in Milwaukee, including Clinton Fillinger on September 19, 2011, and […]
Continue ReadingFor immediate release Contact: Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712 The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is deeply concerned about the arrests of citizens for filming the Wisconsin Legislature, a right expressly afforded by the state’s Open Meetings Law. “These arrests appear to violate the spirit and the letter of the Open Meetings Law which, ironically enough, […]
Continue ReadingRep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, is an insurance agent who sponsored an auto insurance bill in January, one of the first bills to pass the new Legislature. His opponents pegged him as the insurance industry’s best friend; Nygren said he was following the will of the people, many of whom had told him their auto insurance […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of Oct. 14, 2010 meeting Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order and introductions. Meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. Present were Dee Hall, Anita Weier, Bob Dreps, Perry Boxx, Tom Bier, Dave Zweifel, Doug Wojcik, Roger Schneider, John Dye, Beth Bennett, Gina Duwe, Bob Drechsel, Erica […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of the Jan. 20, 2011 meeting Capital Newspapers auditorium 1) Meeting was called to order at 1:31 p.m. – Present were Dee Hall, Chris Hardie, Beth Bennett, Michelle Vetterkind, Gina Duwe, Bob Drechsel, Anita Weier, Michael Buelow, George Stanley, Roger Schneider, Dave Pyle, Steve Lovejoy, Bob Dreps, Dick Record, […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information CouncilMinutes of the April 28, 2011 meetingCapital Newspapers auditorium 1) Call to order. Meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. Present were Dee Hall, BillLueders, Christa Westerberg, Bob Dreps, Chris Hardie, Anita Weier, Bob Dreschel, MarkPitsch, Beth Bennett, George Stanley, Michelle Vetterkind, Roger Schneider, Dave Zweifel,Steve Lovejoy. 2) Minutes. Minutes […]
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