Too many officials believe they can get away with withholding public records. Or they can rest easy in the knowledge it will be taxpayers, not them, stuck with the bill even if they lose a challenge.
Tag: open records
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Long waits undercut records law
Wisconsin’s Open Records Law allows any person to obtain any document in the possession of state and local government officials, with limited exceptions. But, unlike in some other states, there is no set time limit.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Using outside record vendors brings risks
The use of outside vendors to store government records raises a host of potential problems.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Guides help public navigate openness laws
Wisconsin citizens seeking to understand the open records and meetings laws have at their fingertips a valuable resource: the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s public records and open meetings compliance guides.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Officials must bear burden of proof in records cases
The Open Records Law creates a presumption that government records are public, which means that government records custodians must prove their case in order to win.
Posted inGovernment
Republicans push bill to undo Wisconsin open records ruling
Republican lawmakers are backing a bill that would render a controversial Wisconsin Supreme Court decision obsolete by loosening limits on when people who sue over open records requests can recover attorney’s fees.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Public’s trust was abused over police videos
On Sunday, August 14, after a night of unrest prompted by the fatal police shooting of a black man, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said his review of body camera video of the incident proved the officer had acted appropriately. “The individual did turn toward the officer with a firearm in his hand,” Flynn stated, […]
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Release Wisconsin John Doe II case records now
One of the most important court decisions in Wisconsin political history was argued largely in secret. The arguments were made in briefs that were heavily redacted or entirely shielded from public view. The evidence was hidden. Most of the litigants were anonymous.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Some lawmakers still crave secrecy
Last year on July 2, the state Legislature launched a sneak attack on Wisconsin’s open records law, effectively seeking to exempt legislators from its reach. That effort died following a huge public backlash. But some lawmakers, it’s clear, remain actively hostile to the state’s tradition of open government.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Ruling restores access to accident report data
A Wisconsin court of appeals has finally put to rest some of the questions over what information must be withheld under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, or DPPA. Its recent decision ends years of confusion in a way that squares with the state’s traditions of openness — and with common sense.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: State should support student expression
Two years ago, the Fond du Lac School District unveiled new guidelines requiring administrative review and approval before the publication of any student media. The reaction by students was swift, democratic and effective. Within days, they had publicized the change online, presented their case at a school board meeting, appeared on local media, and gathered […]
Posted inBlogs, WisWatch Blog
After chaotic year, open records advocates cheer progress, honor attorney Robert J. Dreps as Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog
Victories in open government, spearheaded by investigative journalism and citizen activism in a year of unprecedented attacks on government transparency, were celebrated by journalists, members of the public and champions of public records laws at the sixth annual Watchdog Awards Wednesday evening in Madison.