So, What Gives When FOI Meets Academic Freedom? On FOI As A Partisan Tool….

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

So, Professor Bill Cronon writes an Op-Ed for the New York Times about the several ways in which he believes that Scott Walker and the current leadership of the Republican Party in Wisconsin have departed not just from the longstanding culture of civility and good government in this state, but in fact from important traditions [...]

Filed under: 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law, 7. Electronic records, 8. Officials' perspectives | Tagged: , , , | 7 Comments »

Don’t Miss This Online Chat Opportunity!

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

Sunshine Review leads these really great weekly #FOIAchat discussions on Twitter on freedom of information act issues. Our turnout includes open government advocates, public officials, and professional journalists. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ryan Gabrielson from California Watch will answer questions and speak on the topic “From Tip to Story: How to Write an Investigative Piece”  this [...]

Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law, 5. Request strategies | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Who Knew There Was a Privacy Interest in Flying First Class On Taxpayer Dole?

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

From a great AP story looking at denials and delays under FOIA…. The AP asked the Justice Department for records showing how much the U.S. spent during the last five years on first-class and business travel for government witnesses who testify in federal cases. The department quickly denied the request, saying it couldn’t release the [...]

Filed under: 4. Finding records, 6. Overcoming denials | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Congrats to New FOI Hall of Fame Inductees!

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

Five people whose work has furthered the cause of freedom of information and open government have been added to the ranks of the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame. The new inductees: Jennifer LaFleur, director, computer-assisted reporting, ProPublica Sean Moulton, director, federal information policy, OMB Watch Tony Mauro, Supreme Court reporter, The National Law [...]

Filed under: 3. Access law | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Ding Dong, The Concept of Corporate Personal Privacy is Dead!

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that corporations may not claim a “personal privacy” exemption when the U.S. government wants to release files involving them under the Freedom of Information Act. The high court reversed that in an 8-0 decision. The new ninth justice, Elena Kagan, a former U.S. solicitor general, did not participate. Writing for the [...]

Filed under: 3. Access law | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A Flap Over YouTube and Video of a Public Meeting

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

An Evanston dad was hoping for a response when he posted a video clip on that showed a heated exchange touching on race during a public school board meeting. But the fallout that ensued had as much to do with legal questions, after an official with the Evanston-Skokie School District 65 cited copyright infringement and [...]

Filed under: 7. Electronic records | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

I Have a Feeling…that Rep. Issa is About to Experience the Waiting Game

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Charles N. Davis

Image via Wikipedia The Associated Press reports that the committee’s chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wants to get the documents to determine just how well the Obama administration is faring in its transparency effort. The committee is looking for lists of who sought federal documents and what happened to their requests. Agencies have until Feb. [...]

Filed under: 3. Access law | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

FOI At Work: Gizmodo’s TSA Scan Images

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Charles N. Davis

Image via Wikipedia Amidst the furor surrounding the TSA’s controversial new full-body imaging technology, Gizmodo filed an FOI request for the images saved (perhaps illegally) by the U.S. Marshals.. Here is the story. Its intro: A Gizmodo investigation has revealed 100 of the photographs saved by the Gen 2 millimeter wave scanner from Brijot Imaging [...]

Filed under: 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

OK, so Davis is quoted in the story…

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Charles N. Davis

Image via Wikipedia The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to use a case involving AT&T Inc. to consider whether a corporation can challenge the release of government documents as an infringement of the company’s privacy rights. The justices today said they will hear the Obama administration’s appeal of a ruling that said corporations can invoke a [...]

Filed under: 3. Access law | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

2010 Secrecy Report Card Is Out…

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Charles N. Davis

The 2010 Secrecy Report Card released today by OpenTheGovernment.org — a coalition of more than 70 groups advocating for open government— chronicles a continued decrease in most indicators of secrecy since the end of the Bush Administration and growing backlogs in the declassification system as old secrets move through the system. The report covers the [...]

Filed under: 3. Access law | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

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