Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
This is to alert you to a provision in a motion adopted on May 24 by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. The motion, at Point 6, would “amend current law to specify that statements of economic interest and any information contained therein may only be available for public inspection and copying at the office of […]
Continue ReadingBy Bill Lueders, WisFOIC President I’d like to thank you all for coming. I should confess that I had very little to do with putting together this event. Primary credit for that goes to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative journalism, and especially Andy Hall. This was his idea, and I wisely insisted that he do […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE3/15/2011 CONTACT: Andy Hall, 608-262-3642, ahall@wisconsinwatch.orgBill Lueders, 608-251-5627, blueders@isthmus.com Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award in recognition of his decades-long efforts to increase public access to information about government. Zweifel will receive the award April 20 at the first […]
Continue ReadingWISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL101 KING ST. MADISON WI 53703 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Bill Lueders (608) 251-5627 May 26, 2011 Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council statement on Judge Maryann Sumi’s ruling The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council appreciates the thoughtful analysis that instructed Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi’s ruling striking down the collective […]
Continue ReadingWISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL 101 KING ST. MADISON WI 53703 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Lueders (608) 251-5627 March 10, 2011 State Freedom of Information Council bestows annual “Opee” Awards The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, as part of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 13-19, is bestowing its fifth annual round of awards in […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council weighs in on open meeting controversy On Thursday, March 10, at 10:50 a.m., Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders issued the following statement: I have been asked whether the Wisconsin FOIC has a position on last night’s action by the state Legislature. As you know, I am not a […]
Continue ReadingThe Assembly Criminal Justice Committee today heard testimony on AB-340 (attached), Rep. Marlin Schneider’s latest effort to destroy WCCA, the state’s online circuit court records system. The bill would prohibit WCCA (commonly and incorrectly called CCAP) from displaying information about criminal cases that do not lead to convictions or civil lawsuits that do not lead […]
Continue ReadingThis article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes a legislative move to exempt judges and district attorneys from those public officials whose economic interest statements would be posted on the Internet, in a bill meant to increase transparency. While the overall bill would still be an improvement, this provision in predicated on the assumption that […]
Continue ReadingState Rep. Joe Parisi and Sen. Pat Krietlow are now lining up cosponsors on a state Whistleblower Protection Act, affirming the right of journalists to protect confidential sources. Wisconsin is in a minority of states that do not have statutory shield law protections, although there have been some supportive court rulings. We urge advocates of […]
Continue Reading• “Supervisor won’t pay county’s legal fees,” Baraboo News Republic, 4/30/11 • “New site makes public notices easy to search,” LaCrosse Tribune, 1/26/11 • “The Reporter files lawsuit over police investigation,” The Oshkosh Northwestern, 1/7/11 • Editorial: “Don’t let clerks decide court recrods access,” Appleton Post-Crescent, 11/5/10 • “Times, Miller reach settlement over open records lawsuit,” The […]
Continue ReadingGov. Jim Doyle’s proposed budget bill includes a provision to greatly expand expungement of criminal convictions. Under current law, expungement (including the complete purging of records) is available only for persons who are convicted of misdemeanor offenses committed before they reach age 21. The proposed change would make a person eligible for expungement up until […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 Contacts: Bill Lueders, President of Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, (608) 251-5627 or blueders@isthmus.com Jason Shepard, Ph.D. Candidate, UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, (608) 445-8448 or jmshepar@wisc.edu For more information, visit www.wisfoic.org. 3 in 10 public-records requests not properly fulfilled, new study finds A statewide public […]
Continue ReadingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Lueders (608) 251-5627 March 12, 2009 State FOI Council Bestows Annual “Opee” Awards The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, as part of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 15-21, is bestowing its third annual round of awards in recognition of people and institutions that have shaped the fortunes of open government […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposed budget includes a provision instructing law enforcement officers in most Wisconsin counties to begin collecting information on traffic stops, as a way to gauge whether racial profiling is occurring. The proposal calls for these records to be exempt from the state’s open records law. According to this article in the […]
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