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: Your Right to Know
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Protect the press against frivolous lawsuits
While 34 states and the District of Columbia have enacted anti-SLAPP laws to protect media and individuals from frivolous defamation lawsuits, Wisconsin has not.
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: A fund to fight government secrecy
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council’s Legal Fund helps cover legal costs associated with fighting to pry records into the public domain.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Nursing home sale shows why transparency matters
Why is the state’s tradition of open government important? Just ask the citizens of Sauk County, who have been treated as though it isn’t.
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: Redaction costs threaten police video access
A new state law allows law enforcement to charge for the cost of redacting video and audio records. It needs to be clarified, if not repealed.
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 inForward, Opinion
Your Right to Know: Rights clash in records dispute
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will soon hear a case involving records related to the voting rights of mentally incompetent people. No matter which side wins, the public has in some ways already lost.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Shine more light on open investigations
Too often, police agencies in Wisconsin are responding to requests for public information with blanket “open investigation” responses that are not adequately explained or clearly necessary.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Opees honor efforts to promote transparency
For the 18th straight year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is recognizing outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government through its Openness in Government awards, or Opees.