A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
When members of the Columbia County Board committee that handles employment issues voted to go into closed session on Jan. 4, a reporter from the Daily Register newspaper in Portage and a local representative of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) objected. The two critics pointed out that under the controversial […]
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 ReadingWisconsin citizens who obtain a simple permit now have the right to carry concealed weapons, in most public places. According to the governor and the majority of state legislators, that’s going to make the state a safer place. Unfortunately, though, we’ll never know for sure. That’s because the Legislature saw fit to exempt the permitting […]
Continue ReadingEarlier this year, after Gov. Scott Walker was sued for the release of the thousands of emails he received at the height of the Capitol union protests, he posted a message on his web page: “Please know that any communications may be subject to release under Wisconsin’s public records law and that our policy is […]
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 ReadingNo one deserves more credit for forging Wisconsin’s traditions of open government than the state Legislature. From passing the nation’s first public records law in 1849, one year after Wisconsin became a state, to the last major update of our Open Records and Open Meetings Laws in the early 1980s, the Legislature has been […]
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 ReadingOn Sept. 19, Clinton Fillinger was arrested while doing his job — perhaps because he was doing it. The 68-year-old veteran photojournalist, employed by Milwaukee’s WITI Fox6, was filming a house fire from behind yellow police tape. A Milwaukee police sergeant approached and ordered Fillinger to move back, “all the way back.” Fillinger’s video […]
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 […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin Department of Justice attorneys will host a series of seminars in October on Wisconsin public records and open meetings laws. The seminars are designed to help government officials and the public better understand their responsibilities and rights under the law. Details are available here for the free seminars.
Continue ReadingEvery ten years, legislative and congressional district boundaries are redrawn to account for population shifts reflected in the U.S. Census. It’s an important process, one that merits months of public deliberation and scrutiny. But that’s not what happens in Wisconsin. Our state’s redistricting process is handled almost completely out of public view by the party […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin has a long and proud history of open government. We have a strong Open Meetings Law which has served Wisconsin citizens well. That law, which requires public notice at least 24 hours before public meetings, applies to your library board, school board and city council – but it does not apply to the Wisconsin […]
Continue ReadingIt’s important to be clear about what the state Supreme Court did not do today. It did not rule that the Wisconsin Legislature obeyed the state Open Meetings Law in passing changes to collective bargaining. It did not deem the Open Meetings Law a dumb idea. Rather, it concluded, on separation of powers grounds, that […]
Continue ReadingNo matter how people feel about the changes to Wisconsin’s collective bargaining laws passed by the Legislature in March — and then voided on May 26 by Judge Maryann Sumi — Wisconsin residents should take heart in Judge Sumi’s decision. She declared the state’s Open Meetings Law means something. “This case is the exemplar of […]
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