transparency – Page 7 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Op-ed: Encouraging transparency in government in 2016

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Transparency in government is essential to upholding American democracy. When citizens have access to behind-the-scenes information about local and federal administrations, politicians are held accountable. The public is educated and engaged. And our nation is strengthened.

It is popular to pledge honest and open leadership while on the campaign trail, but America does not have the best track record in keeping these promises. In fact, Pew research finds that just five percent of Americans believe the government is doing a good job of sharing key information.

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As Sunshine Week dawns, more need than ever for transparency

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Journalists and First Amendment advocates faced discouraging news last week when VICE News reporter Jason Leopold pulled back the curtain on secret attempts to hamstring open records laws in the United States.

Leopold, who's been hailed by The New York Times and others for his skill at prying secrets from the government, disclosed that the Obama administration worked behind the scenes to torpedo a bill that would have sped and streamlined public records requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Opinion: The right to inspect the public’s records in Colorado

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Colorado Sen. John Kefalas and Rep. Dan Pabon deserve thanks from all Coloradans for their valiant, but unsuccessful, effort to guarantee the public's right to inspect its records.

These two legislators introduced Senate Bill 37, which would have clarified that Coloradans enjoy the right to obtain copies of public records in the same digitized format in which government maintains those records. Our tax dollars pay public servants to carry out the people's business, including creating and keeping public records — our records — on our behalf.

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NYPD using Cold War excuse to block information on Muslim spying

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For years the NYPD’s record of spying on law-abiding Muslims has been the subject of fierce public debate. Yet the NYPD is still refusing to acknowledge the existence of basic information related to its controversial and well-documented surveillance program.

Yesterday in an ornate courtroom next to Madison Square Park, the First Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court considered two cases in which the NYPD had responded to public records requests by stating it could not “confirm or deny the existence of such documents.”

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Open Data Census provides a to-do list for states

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The U.S. States Open Data Census took a new approach when rating open data across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

It allowed states to improve their results as the census looked into their open data initiatives. Instead of a closed assessment process, states watched their scores emerge and made improvements.

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Bill to close breathalyzer database won’t affect police DUI records

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Legislation to close portions of the state database of breath-alcohol test results won’t affect information available in law enforcement reports on drunken driving arrests, the bill’s sponsor said.

An individual’s breathalyzer results “will still be in police reports,” said Sen. John Cooke, the Weld County Republican who introduced SB 16-132. “When someone gets arrested, everything will be in there, just as it has been. And it will always be in court documents, obviously.”

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New Mexico law meant to increase transparency leaves gray area for lobbyists

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Lobbyists could end up reporting far less of their spending on lawmakers under a bill lauded for improving the state’s campaign finance system.

House Bill 105, signed into law by Gov. Susana Martinez on Monday, aims to make it easier for the public to access information about campaign contributions and lobbyists’ reporting. But the bill also ends a requirement that lobbyists report cumulative spending on lawmakers, and it increases the limit for reporting to $100 from $75 per event. The original legislation struck the cumulative total requirement.

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White House highlights cities, announces plans to lift communities with open data

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The Obama administration Monday unveiled a new open data portal that melds tools from various federal and local government agencies to help communities find ways to improve their residents' lives.

The Opportunity Project is "grounded in the president’s background as a community organizer," said Aden van Noppen, a special adviser within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, adding it was a form of "participatory development" based on the principle that "people are experts on their own lives."

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Executions aren’t supposed to be easy, quiet or hidden

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The legislative rationale behind Senate Bill 2237 presumes falsely that the business of taking an inmate’s life as punishment for a capital crime should be easy, quiet, free from confrontation or protest, and hidden as much as possible from public view or scrutiny.

That rationale is incredibly flawed.

This legislation presumes that how the state implements our harshest punishment for the most heinous crimes should be a secret ceremony conducted behind closed doors and without any accountability to the taxpayers.

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Beware of ‘big data hubris’ when it comes to police reform

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For the past several years police departments around the United States have been betting on “big data” to revolutionize the way they predict, measure and, ideally, prevent crime.

Some data scientists are now turning the lens on law enforcement itself in an effort to increase public insight into how well police officers are doing their jobs.

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