Facts Under Siege
Charles Lewis is trying to think of some new words to describe the current state of information. “Scary” just doesn’t go far enough, he told journalists, educators and citizen activists gathered Friday, April 21, in Indianapolis for the 2006 Freedom of Information Summit.
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Conservatives, liberals can agree on public’s right to know
INDIANAPOLIS — For a man who describes himself as “terribly conservative” Rep. Mike Pence, R-IN, got a lot of inspiration from liberals when crafting the Free Flow of Information Act.
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Reporter follows in role model’s footsteps — all the way to war
INDIANAPOLIS — When all the other kids in Sig Christenson’s Houston neighborhood were planning on careers in medicine and engineering, he decided he wanted to be a newspaper reporter. Later he read “Brave Men,” a collection of columns from World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, and tightened his focus.
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Policy makers juggle privacy vs. public’s right to know
INDIANAPOLIS — Balancing public accountability and individual privacy is a challenge for legislators and journalists at both the state and national level.
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Patience a virtue in pursuing the document-driven story
INDIANAPOLIS — Cost and delay are major obstacles journalists face in making records requests, but the rewards that come with tracking down a record-driven story can make it worth the pain.
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How to be a better watchdog
INDIANAPOLIS — Joel Campbell, co-chairman of SPJ’s national Freedom of Information Committee, knows what it takes to be an effective “watchdog” of government. During the National FOI Summit in Indianapolis, he shared some of his “keys” to unlocking government records.
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Accountability part of privatization discussion
INDIANAPOLIS — Accountability and transparency are issues when a government operation is privatized, according to panelists discussing privatization trends at the 2006 Freedom of Information Summit.
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Info-hungry citizens making a difference in government openness
INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Nees in nine short months has grown from a precocious, 15-year-old filmmaker into an open records activist whose latest foray cost the city of Kokomo more than $11,000 this week.
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