NFOIC to Expand Collaboration with the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information in Restructuring

October 26, 2020 The National Freedom of Information Coalition will combine forces with the University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information in developing new programs that foster government transparency and serve state coalitions for open government. For the next year, the two organizations will bolster a relationship that has been in place since […]

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Iowa is denying the public access to some records of its COVID-19 response

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration has denied some requests for information about Iowa’s preparedness and response to the novel coronavirus by citing a broad exemption in the state’s public records law. Two Iowa agencies have denied Des Moines Register requests this month seeking documentation of the state’s pandemic response plan and daily reports regarding the state’s response to the virus and COVID-19, […]

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Coronavirus clampdown: The virus casts a shroud over American civic life

States and cities across the country are cutting off access to open records and canceling in-person meetings, starving the public — not to mention lobbyists and other influence-brokers — of information as the coronavirus outbreak reaches into all corners of civic life. The public access shutdown comes just as local officials make unprecedented decisions about […]

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Why Is Access To Public Records Still So Frustratingly Complicated?

Even with the Freedom of Information Act, requesting government records remains an arduous process—especially compared to the efficiency of the legal world.

Earlier this month, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation demanding former FBI director James Comey’s notes of conversations with President Trump.

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