Commentary: Arlington lacking in government transparency
The Arlington Advocate is to be commended for its Nov. 15 editorial advocating for reform of the state’s Public Records Law. But it completely missed the mark in suggesting that Arlington could serve...
View ArticleOpinion: A victory for open government
Government transparency is a favorite — and necessary — topic of the fourth estate. The push and pull for a more open government is constant here in Vermont and across the nation. On Monday, a victory...
View ArticleWichita's chance to increase government transparency on spending
The Wichita City Council can decide to increase transparency in regards to spending, or let it remain being spent in secret. The City of Wichita has three surrogate quasi-governmental agencies that...
View ArticleEditorial: state government: More transparency
A good government is one that responds to the wishes of the public. But the public cannot know how responsive its government is when much of what government does lies outside public view. Hence the...
View ArticleOpinion: When governments open their files, the public benefits
IN EARLY December, President Obama announced a series of measures aimed at closing the gap between citizens and law enforcement. One of those measures was a plan to distribute $263 million in funding...
View ArticleFOIA pledge garners more signatures, but none locally
A pledge circulated by advocates of government transparency to garner support for the state’s Freedom of Information Act has yielded additional signatures since it was reissued earlier this month....
View ArticleAdvocates worried by open meetings bill
Government transparency advocates say they are concerned about a newly filed bill that would change Wyoming’s public meetings law. House Bill 232 would allow public agencies to “take action upon...
View ArticleOpen meetings bill withdrawn in Wyoming House
A legislative proposal that had concerned government transparency advocates has been withdrawn by the bill’s sponsor. Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, pulled House Bill 232 Thursday morning right before...
View ArticleOpen meetings laws don’t apply Tenn. transparency panel
A panel of experts assembled to offer advice on transparency issues is not subject to the state’s open meetings law. At least that’s the opinion of Ann Butterworth, who heads the Comptroller’s Office...
View ArticleOpinion: Legislature to be commended for seeking more improvements on state's...
In the typical legislative session, a lot of important work is quietly undertaken outside the glare of attention granted to those high-profile and politically charged issues that grab the lion’s share...
View ArticleToo fast on requiem for White House FOIA?
A notice the Obama administration placed in the Federal Register earlier this month seemed to confirm once and for all what many transparency advocates have treated as a given for years: The White...
View ArticleJournalists Fight for Open Government in The Face Of Secrecy
Transparency is inconvenient. It’s inconvenient for the reporter who’s trying to report the news and it’s inconvenient for the government that attempts to hide information.“It is not unique for...
View ArticleMichigan Legislature: Bills focus on roads, transparency
Limits on transparency in government and the germs of plans to fund road improvements began emerging in bills introduced by members of the state House of Representatives and Senate last week. One bill...
View ArticleTransparency needed for S.C. body-worn cameras
Unresponsive democratic governments fail. One deadly feature of such governments is a lack of transparency. When leaders decided citizens didn’t need to know about the workings of government, citizens...
View ArticleOpenGov launches data insights tool
California-based OpenGov has launched a new data insights tool that will work with its existing government transparency software and aims to provide government administrators with a clearer view into...
View ArticleGovernment transparency job left vacant in Maryland
When a Towson University student journalist asked for emails about how school officials dealt with allegations that someone had videotaped the swim team getting undressed, university officials asked...
View ArticleTransparency bill gets second life in Maine Legislature
A state senator from Cape Neddick is hoping her initiative aimed at improving government transparency will be revived this week. Democrat Dawn Hill will have to convince at least one Republican leader...
View ArticleMassachusetts public records bill does little to open access
A Massachusetts House committee is set to unveil a bill that would allow those who are thwarted in seeking public records to collect attorney fees, but the measure does nothing to strengthen what is...
View ArticleEditorial: Pennsylvania is moving backwards on government transparency
While news organizations, good government groups and – hopefully – public-minded citizens were commemorating right-to-know and open-meetings laws during Sunshine Week last month, clouds of obstruction...
View ArticleCalifornia measures seek to increase government transparency
Two measures making their way through different political processes in California seek to increase transparency. One is a ballot initiative; the other is a bill. Each one’s supporters say it would cut...
View ArticleNew Indiana Supreme Court ruling hurting government transparency, attorneys say
An Indiana Supreme Court decision is already having a negative impact on government transparency and access to records, just days after it was handed down, according to several Indianapolis attorneys....
View ArticleWest Virginia: Delegate and auditor candidate McCuskey promises to imitate...
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Del. and candidate for state auditor JB McCuskey is a big proponent of an Ohio website that has been named the top government transparency site in the country.read more
View ArticleGovernment Requests For Facebook User Data Up 27 Percent
The latest transparency report from Facebook, released on Wednesday, reveals a considerable uptick in requests from governments around the world during the first half of 2016. According to figures...
View ArticleCritics see dangers lurking in framing of Clinton search warrant
Arguments the government offered behind closed doors when seeking a search warrant in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails are causing alarm among some transparency proponents and civil...
View ArticleVirginian-Pilot editorial: Be a force for openness in government
It’s optimistic to believe that this (or really any) legislative session in Virginia will make a turn toward openness and away from punching holes in the law that ensures public access to documents...
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