Don’t restrict access to open records
From the Chippewa Herald, an editorial on the proposed bill to allow records custodians to charge for the cost of reviewing and redacting records.
Continue ReadingFebruary: Legislature oversteps with new rules
Let’s start with a stipulation: Not all of the inappropriate behavior that takes place in the Wisconsin state Legislature is committed by lawmakers. Some spectators, especially in the last two years, have also shown poor manners and bad form. People who shout “Liar!” from the gallery as the governor gives a State of the State […]
Continue ReadingOct. 11, 2012
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Oct. 11, 2012 meetingCapital Newspapers Auditorium 1) The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, Christa Westerberg, BillLueders, Bob Drechsel, Mark Pitsch, Roger Schneider, John Dye, Doug Wojcik, Dave Zweifel, Tom Bier,Anita Weier, Andy Hall, Bob Dreps, Steve Lovejoy, Michelle Vetterkind and guests Orville […]
Continue ReadingJuly 12, 2012
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council July 12, 2012Capital Newspapers Auditorium 1) Call to order. Meeting was called to order at 2:06 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, AndyHall, Mary Callen, Bob Dreps, Gina Duwe, Sean Dwyer, Tom Bier, Michelle Vetterkind, MarkPitsch, Michael Buelow, Chris Hardie, Roger Schneider, Dave Zweifel, George Stanley, BobDrechsel, Steve Lovejoy, Christa […]
Continue ReadingApril 19, 2012
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of the April 19, 2012 meetingCapital Newspapers auditorium 1) The meeting was called to order at 2:10 p.m. In attendance were Dee Hall, MarkPitsch, Beth Bennett, Bob Dreps, Chris Hardie, Michael Buelow, Doug Wojcik, Dave Zweifel,Bob Drechsel, Bill Lueders, Christa Westerberg, Andy Hall, Steve Lovejoy and Gina Duwe andguests […]
Continue ReadingJan. 19, 2012
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Minutes of the Jan. 19, 2012 meetingCapital Newspapers auditorium 1) The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. Attending were Dee Hall, Bob Dreps, RogerSchneider, Tom Bier, Perry Boxx, Michael Buelow, Anita Weier, Steve Lovejoy, Doug Wojcik,Dave Zweifel, Bob Drechsel, Mark Pitsch, Andy Hall, Bill Lueders, Gina Duwe, ChristaWesterberg […]
Continue ReadingOpee Award nominees sought
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, a nonprofit group that works to protect public access to meetings and records, is inviting nominations for its 2012-13 Opee awards, recognizing achievements high and low. The awards can recognize actions from February 2012 through to the present day. The awards will be announced in March as part of the […]
Continue ReadingJanuary: Keep DNR enforcement sessions open
Stung by controversy last year over its allegedly light treatment of an environmental rule breaker, the state Department of Natural Resources is rewriting its enforcement procedures. Unfortunately, a draft of its plan calls for making the process less transparent. When dealing with polluters, the DNR’s policy is to apply progressively stricter actions until violations are […]
Continue ReadingDecember: City leads the way on openness
Recently the City of Burlington made some changes to its website, adding a feature it calls a “performance dashboard.” The online tool gives city residents a better look – much of it in real time – about what their government is doing. As the site explains, “Users can review monthly and yearly revenue, expenditures, per […]
Continue ReadingNovember: Public’s business shouldn’t be ‘private’
Wisconsin’s Open Records Law asserts the public’s right to the “greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.” But the law’s reach has been tested in recent years by electronic communications that are easily sent — and just as easily deleted — from […]
Continue ReadingFive GOP lawmakers settle lawsuit with groups seeking emails
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a story of how five Republican legislators settled an open records lawsuit by two liberal groups by agreeing to turn over emails from their personal accounts to and from a conservative organization that works with corporations to draft legislation.
Continue ReadingTexts. 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 Reading