News

Recent FOI Advocate posts

OLYMPIA, Wash. — State lawmakers are exploring a plan that could limit how governments respond to requests for public documents, allowing them to get a court order if they can prove that a request creates a "significant burden."

SALT LAKE CITY — An advocate for open government, Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, is sponsoring two bills aimed at that goal, one serious and the other to make a point.

The Loudoun County (Va.) Board of Supervisors once again made its message clear at a board meeting Wednesday: It wants the ongoing legal matter between freelance journalist Beverly Bradford and the Loudoun County Board of Equalization to come to an end.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center Wednesday filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking access to Google’s first mandatory privacy report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

More from the FOI Advocate.

More open government updates

The latest FOI and open government updates are streamed in Twitter feeds below.

Freedom of Information Summits

Be sure to catch up on all the news, panels, participants and attendees from recent FOI Summits.

Knight FOI Fund Press

The Knight FOI Fund exists to offer financial support in open government lawsuits. It was established to fuel and assist the pursuit of important FOI cases by helping to defray upfront costs such as filing fees, depositions, court costs and other expenses associated with legal actions. Read all about the Knight FOI Fund here.

Freedom of Information LISTSERV

FOI-L is a mailing list discussion on the Internet, run out of Syracuse University for NFOIC. Join in the discussion about access to public records, closure of governmental meetings, trends in legislation, and other issues about the public's access to government records and meetings.

2011 Hero of the 50 States

NFOIC and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) selected John R. Finnegan Sr., former executive editor and assistant publisher of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, for their joint Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame award for 2011.

Sunshine Week at Work in the States

See reports and activities from the 2011 Sunshine Week, including a great new iPhone app, iOpenGov, brought to you by our friends and NFOIC member coalition, First Amendment Coalition.