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January 2009 - Posts

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:49 PM

White House reporters watching Obama transparency

National Public Radio had a good little story today about White House journalists hoping President Barack Obama will stick to his promises of transparency. It's a good summary of the hopeful yet skeptical/watching mood among journalists and open government
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:32 PM

Smithsonian adopts openness policy to thwart FOIA requirements

This week the Smithsonian Institution formally adopted a FOIA-like policy toward the release of public records (see Reporters Committee item). That's nice and all, but a policy is not as good as having a law with teeth. The Smithsonian was established
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 25, 2009 1:46 PM

Obama's transparency a little fuzzy still

President Barack Obama is off to a good start regarding his public calls for government transparency (see item below on his first-day decree), but I'm still a little cautious in declaring him a friend of public access to government information. So
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:56 PM

Official says Bush administration spied on journalists

Here's an item from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press that makes me wonder what else is going to come out now that George Bush is out of office. Apparently a former National Security Agency analyst, Russell Tice, told MSNBC's Keith
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 2:59 PM

FOI ALERT: Obama reverses Ashcroft memo, instructs agencies to err on side of openness

President Barack Obama today reversed the Ashcroft memo by instructing federal agencies to err on the side of openness when interpreting the Freedom of Information Act. This is one of the most important movements in years regarding freedom of information.
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 9:08 PM

Fairness Doctrine heads to Iraq with bonus features

I guess we are spreading democracy in Iraq - at least antiquated ideas of "fairness" with an added twist of totalitarianism for flavor. According to a story by The Associated Press, the Iraqi government wants to require journalists to sign a code of conduct
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 8:55 PM

N.J. governor's emails deemed private

An appeals court ruled Monday that New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine doesn't have to release emails with his ex-girlfriend, a former leader of a union negotiating with the state, because the governor needs to be able to communicate in secret to prevent
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 8:45 PM

Rest in Secrecy: SPJ opposes hidden cemetary records in Nebraska

This week SPJ joined an amicus brief in a case where the government wants to keep secret the identities of those long buried in a cemetery at a mental health hospital in Nebraska. A state-owned mental hospital doesn't want a historical society to have
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, January 12, 2009 11:55 PM

Minnesota students take newspaper online to escape censorship by superintendent

The Star-Tribune and the Fairbault (Minn.) Daily News report that student journalists are creating an online publication after their paper was shut down by the school superintendent in a censorship dispute. The students' paper, the Echo, was shuttered
posted by DonaldMeyers | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 08, 2009 9:50 PM

Arizona cities creating secret police forces

Got to hand it to Arizonan public officials to come up with the most innovative ways of misreading public records laws. Now the city of Phoenix (along with some other cities) are making secret the identities of victims and specific identity of some
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 5:11 PM

Ian Marquand, longtime SPJ FOI hero, laid off

Ian Marquand, former SPJ FOI Committee chair and author of SPJ's Open Doors, was laid off from his television job in Montana, another victim of the market that will hurt access and journalism in Montana and nationwide. Marquand was the projects reporter
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:45 AM

Chicago videographer off the hook

A judge dropped charges against Chicago Spot News videographer Mike Anzaldi, who was arrested in October at the scene of a police shooting. Police had accused him of resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer, as well as failing to present media
posted by DavidCuillier | 1 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:27 AM

Judge: identity of abused detainees can be kept secret

This one makes me blink in wonder. The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled this week that the identities of detainees abused by guards or other detainees at Guantanamo should be kept secret in order to protect the detainees' privacy. The judge ruled
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:19 AM

This sheriff wanted the sun to shine only during banking hours

A sheriff in South Carolina told the media that his office wouldn't provide incident reports on weekends when administrators weren't around to vet what information is released. Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner started the policy in November, blocking
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments