Quick Information | Contacts | Form Letters | Publications

Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition

(A member of NFOIC)

4075 Linglestown Rd., #312
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Contact: Kim de Bourbon, Executive Director
Phone (570) 994-5748
Email info@openrecordspa.org
http://www.openrecordspa.org/

QUICK FOI INFORMATION

Open Meetings Law 65 Pa. Cons. Stat. Section 261 et. seq.
Closed: Attorney consultations; collective bargaining; certain personnel matters; and some real estate transactions.

Open Records Law 65 Pa. Stat. Section 66.1 et seq.
Exempt: Some investigative records; birth and death records; some election reports; and accident reports.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

top

CONTACTS

• Office of the Attorney General
• Strawberry Square, 16th Floor
• Harrisburg, PA 17120
• Phone (717) 787-3391
• Fax (717) 787-8242
• http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• 100 South Street
• P.O. Box 186
• Harrisburg, PA 17108-0186
• Phone (717)238-6715
• Fax (717) 238-1204
• http://www.pabar.org/
• E-mail info@pabar.org

• Center for the First Amendment
• Pennsylvania State University
• 201F Carnegie Building
• University Park, PA 16802-5101
• Phone (814) 865-8801
• http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/first/
• E-mail sws102@psu.edu

• Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
• 3899 N. Front St.
• Harrisburg, PA 17108
• Phone (717) 703-3000
• Fax (717) 703-3001
• http://www.pa-newspaper.org/

• State Sunshine Chair
• nomad6@ptd.net

FORM LETTERS

• The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
• 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100
• Arlington, Virginia 22209
• Phone (800) 336-4243 or (703) 807-2100
• E-mail rcfp@rcfp.org
• FOI Letter Generator

• Student Press Law Center
• 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100
• Arlington, Virginia 22209
• Phone (703) 807-1904
• E-mail splc@splc.org
• Request Letter Generator

top

PUBLICATIONS

Mass Communication Law in Pennsylvania brings between two covers a valuable reference to state law affecting communication professionals and students. Written for the layperson, it examines issues that occur in daily news-gathering activities, such as libel, open records, and reporter privilege.
Order from:   New Forums Press

Media Survival Kit: Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition prepared by Samuel E. Klein, Amy B. Ginensky, Vernon L. Francis, and Robert C. Clothier.
The Media Survival Kit, last updated in 2001, is published by the Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition. The book was printed by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and distributed to PNA member newspapers. Pennsylvania's Right to Know Act, which concerns government records, was updated since the Media Survival Kit was printed. PNA's Legal Department produced a guide to the 2008 changes, which is a handy reference to use in conjunction with the Media Survival Kit. Read and order here.

Open Government Guide from the
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

top