Third-party business groups have no valid legal basis to prevent the disclosure of COVID-19 outbreaks, and timely access to such information serves the public interest, especially during a pandemic.
Those are key arguments in an amicus brief written by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and signed by 12 organizations, including the National Freedom of Information Coalition.
The case, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce v. Evers, now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, concerns the Wisconsin Department of Public Health’s plans to release names of businesses where at least two employees tested positive for COVID-19 or had close contacts. Business groups sought to block the records.
On Nov. 30, 2021, RCFP filed: