Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

Openness in government is critical to democracy. Wisconsin state law makes that clear in this high-minded preamble to the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law: “In recognition of the fact that a representative government of the American type is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the policy of this state that the public […]

In October 1978, a group of 21 representatives of state print and broadcast media met at the offices of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Their collective goal: To “have more clout, become more of a fist, serve a stronger warning [and] have a bigger impact” in defending rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. The result was […]

A picture, they say, is worth 1,000 words. The television and print photographers who take them play a vital role in keeping the public informed. It’s a job that requires much skill, and sometimes entails great risk. News photographers in Wisconsin have been attacked, threatened, arrested, and had their cameras and film confiscated. They have […]

Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings present a mixed bag that still lends some support to open government advocates by providing new guidance to citizens and government bodies. First, the open government wins: — State of Wisconsin v. Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation clarified when allegedly private entities are subject to the public records and open […]

“Is this really news anymore?” That was one of the anonymous comments posted on the Green Bay Press-Gazette Web site May 29 in reaction to an Associated Press story about what we’re told is the last release of documents related to the tragic shooting in Crandon more than eight months ago. The killing spree claimed […]

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a strong and important opinion this month favoring the public’s right to know about traffic accidents and crime in local communities. Van Hollen agreed with state newspapers that basic information identifying people in accident and incident reports is open to public inspection under Wisconsin law. It doesn’t matter that […]

Wisconsin has a long history of providing the public with access to its governmental records. Indeed, the state enacted the first of its public records laws in 1917. The current public records statutes were enacted in 1983. Microfilm was the “whiz bang” technology for storing government records in 1983. Other exciting technologies of the day […]

As part of national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its second annual Opee Awards in recognition of people and institutions which have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin during the last year. The honorees are: Political Openness Advocate of the Year (the “Popee”): Wisconsin Supreme Court. […]

State Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) is proposing legislation to create a state “shield law” for news media. Thirty-two states already have such laws, which protect a journalist’s right to keep confidential the sources and material gathered during reporting. The Utah Supreme Court recently passed a rule to create a similar privilege there. The need for […]

On the surface, it seems like a simple, fair change to Wisconsin court procedures: If you escape conviction, your case can be erased from online records. But the possible consequence of such a fundamental change in public records access is more complicated – and the matter is so contentious that a Legislative Council committee did […]

Walter H. Besley may well have been Wisconsin’s first open-government crusader. Back in 1853, five years after Wisconsin became a state, Besley, the clerk of circuit court in Jefferson County, billed the county board of supervisors $22 for two expenses: wood to furnish his office, and a large box of candles to light and warm […]

The famous Watergate-era figure dubbed Deep Throat once told a reporter to “follow the money” in order to figure out what was going on.  That’s sometimes easier said than done, particularly when it involves gleaning information from some of the electronically filed campaign finance reports filed by Wisconsin’s political candidates and committees. For instance, here […]

Another attack on Wisconsin’s long commitment to open government and open records was launched recently when the Assembly Committee on Corrections and Courts took up a bill to limit online access to Wisconsin court information. State Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, is the lead sponsor of legislation that would force regular citizens to hoof it […]

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is making open government rulings at an unprecedented clip. Two rulings so far support the public’s right to access — and three upcoming cases will further determine how open Wisconsin government will be to the public. Last term, the court decided two important cases: — Buswell v. Tomah Area School District, […]

A ruling by Dane County Judge David Flanagan that lets lawmakers keep drafts of legislation under wraps is a slap in the face to open government. Flanagan ruled in June in a case brought by former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager. She sued two lawmakers in 2005 for failing to make public the draft of their […]

A recent court ruling against the Evansville Police Department  could carry consequences much greater than the $25,000 that the case will cost the city and its insurance company. Evansville has begun removing public information from police reports for fear of getting sued – and losing – again. And other local police across Wisconsin are following […]

In Wisconsin, the law gives the public maximum access to government records and decision-making meetings.  People have the right to know, for example, whom local police have arrested and why. However, when students in two classes at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh requested daily arrest lists for area city and county police departments, they didn’t get […]

Wisconsin “sunshine” laws are brightening the halls of government in Wisconsin this spring, and a string of recent victories for the public’s right to know deserves celebration. These recent cases also should serve to warn local and state officials to not flout open government laws in the first place: Public meetings: In Milton in southern Wisconsin, […]