Posted in Open Records on May 10th, 2007 2 Comments »
Every campaign needs slogans for yard signs and T-shirts and bumper stickers. So we are launching a contest to come up with some good ones. Send us yours.
Here are a few (mostly) silly ones to start things off . . . and by the way, there is no state Office of Public or Open […]
Posted in Open Records News on May 9th, 2007 No Comments »
The Monessen Valley Independent editorialized about PA’s Open Records law yesterday, saying
When it comes to public access, interpretation should not be a factor. The law should be clear. It should include specific procedures for quick, complete access.
Posted in Open Records on May 9th, 2007 No Comments »
We are focused on changing the law in Pennsylvania. But this issue is making waves across the country and around the world. Why? Because it is so important. Read on . . .
On the national scene:
The U. S. House of Representatives passed HR 1309, a bill “to promote openness in government,” in March. The […]
Posted in Open Records on May 8th, 2007 1 Comment »
But first –
Send us your stories. Have you tried to get a public record from a government agency and been turned away, stonewalled, sent to the back of the line or sent home? Share your story with us here.
Privacy
Often, those who oppose stronger open records laws appeal to a national belief that is as […]
Posted in Open Records on May 7th, 2007 No Comments »
Let’s talk about some specific changes that would bring Pennsylvania’s open records law out (quite literally) the dark ages.
The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association has laid out six:
1. Records belong to the public
This is the bedrock on which everything else is built. And it just seems so obvious. Remember we are talking about “public records.” To whom […]
Posted in Open Records on May 4th, 2007 No Comments »
“I’ve been knocked off the donkey. I’ve seen the light.”
House Majority Leader H. William DeWeese (D-Waynesburg)’s self-referential analogy to the experience of Saul on the road to Damascus is no small matter. As DeWeese himself has acknowledged, he has not historically been a resolute supporter of open-records reform. So to have a long-time House […]
Posted in Uncategorized on May 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
The blogging neighborhood, that is. Tony Phyrillas, a reporter for the Pottstown Mercury, wrote us up in his blog. Thanks for the mention, Tony!
And Above Average Jane, a Philly citizen activist, also mentioned us today.
Both of these blogs are well-established and well-written. Thanks to both for the plugs!
It’s important […]
Posted in Uncategorized on May 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
Public records have made a lot of news lately that we’re just catching up…
The Chambersburg Public Opinion wrote about us on May 1.
Google has announced they will team up with some state governments to make public records more accessible. Read the story in the York Dispatch. This initiative will make public information […]
Posted in Open Records on May 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
Bill Northrop has been fighting the open government/open records fight for almost half a century. Even though he is now retired as co-publisher of The Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pa., he is still hard at it, as his recent opinion piece makes clear below.
In my nearly 50 years as a journalist warrior in the fight for […]
Posted in Open Records on May 2nd, 2007 No Comments »
Evidence is mounting that the push for a new open records law has public support that is both surprisingly broad and refreshingly deep.
Some indications:
• The Mansfield University Annual State Survey, conducted from Feb. 12 to March 8, 2007 among state residents 18 years and older, found that nearly three out of four Pennsylvanians want the […]