Texts. Tweets. Public record? Elected officials in legal quandary over new media, devices
In the La Crosse Tribune, Betsy Bloom examines the open records implications of cellular texts and tweets among public officials.
Continue ReadingMinnesota court affirms open access to government contracts
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the story of a Court of Appeals decision that all government contractors are subject to Minnesota’s open records laws. “Under the law, private residents or businesses contracting with the government must comply with the Data Practices Act “as if it were a government entity.” “
Continue ReadingOctober: Rulings prompt records guide update
Wisconsin, it’s said, had the nation’s first state law mandating public access to government records. It was passed in 1849, a year after Wisconsin entered the union. The law has undergone two subsequent reworkings, the last in 1981. But in truth, it never stops changing. Amendments are passed, practices change, and court rulings redefine the […]
Continue ReadingPhotographers’ rights workshop
From the ACLU of Wisconsin site, a photographers’ rights workshop to be held October 16, 2012, at the UW Law School in Madison, featuring presenters Christa Westerberg, vice-president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, and Michael P. King, a staff photojournalist at the Wisconsin State Journal.
Continue ReadingAG updates open records guide
From the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism site, titled “AG updates open records guide”, Bill Lueders explains the most important changes in the Attorney General’s open records compliance guide, most notably that records custodians may not charge for the cost of the redaction of sensitive information.
Continue ReadingSeptember: Lawmakers exploit loophole to hide ALEC ties
Wisconsin state legislators are routinely deleting emails concerning their involvement with the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), exploiting a loophole that exempts the Legislature from records retention rules that apply to all other state and local government officials. For more than a year, we at the Center for Media and Democracy, a nonpartisan watchdog […]
Continue ReadingMunicipalities Cannot Recover Costs of Redacting Public Records
From the League of Wisconsin Municipalities site, titled “Municipalities Cannot Recover Costs of Redacting Public Records”: Wisconsin’s municipalities may find they are in a difficult place when it comes to complying with Wisconsin’s public records law. The law requires municipalities to produce any records responsive to a request that can be disclosed while redacting from those same […]
Continue ReadingAugust: Stop treating photography as a crime
I don’t know what it’s like to wear handcuffs, or to be threatened with arrest. I hope I never do. But that could happen, because carrying a camera puts a target on one’s back these days. Photography and videography, for news gathering or fun, are garnering lots of attention from police and other public officials. […]
Continue ReadingJuly: Court: You can’t charge a lot for this record
Last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court powerfully affirmed the state’s tradition of open and transparent government. In a unanimous ruling, the court affirmed the statutory limits the Legislature placed on public records fees and rejected the argument that requesters can be required to pay “each and every cost incurred by an authority.” The dispute between […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Freedom of Information Council statement on today’s ruling in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel v. City of Milwaukee
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 ReadingSupreme Court decides against redaction charges
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against the city of Milwaukee and for the Journal Sentinel in a dispute over whether a government body can charge for employees to delete information deemed confidential from public records. By unanimous vote, the high court reversed a Milwaukee County judge’s ruling.”
Continue ReadingJuly 14, 2011
Wisconsin 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 ReadingJune: Gov rivals imperfect on open records
Advocates of open government often quiz candidates for public office on their level of support for official transparency. The candidates, when asked, always tout their commitment. That doesn’t mean they always deliver. Both Republican Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, have fielded many requests for public records. Indeed, since becoming […]
Continue ReadingMay: National convo brings together access advocates
Wherever they may be on the political spectrum, most Wisconsinites would likely agree that the last year has been a lively one for open government issues in our state. Access issues — including Capitol access, records requests to university professors, arrests of photojournalists, and secret redistricting, to name a few — have regularly made the […]
Continue ReadingApril: Dick Wheeler, knower-in-chief
For 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 ReadingRoster of speakers announced for 2012 FOI Summit in Madison, WI
March 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 ReadingFederal judges affirm transparency in redistricting
The 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 ReadingSunshine Week: Advocacy group wants lists of concealed carry permit holders made public
This Wisconsin Rapids Tribune article describes the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort’s desire for concealed carry permits to be made public.
Continue ReadingBaraboo News Republic recognized for open records efforts
The Baraboo News Republic describes its Opee award and the connection to its two sister publications.
Continue ReadingHilbert Village President Ken Stenklyft wins open records award
The 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.
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