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Just in: The biennial open government survey results
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Past surveys from the National Freedom of Information Coalition have shown declining media interest and involvement in FOI litigation and legal actions.
And while news media continue to make up the largest clients litigating public record lawsuits, for the first time, NFOIC’s Biennial Open Government Survey showed that members of the public outnumbered newspapers as the larger client group for attorneys pursuing open government cases.
“The impact from the decline over the past decade in local and regional news media across the U.S. can be seen in the responses in this biennial survey since it began in 2009,” said Daniel Bevarly, NFOIC’s executive director. “The continual increases in reported violations of state open government laws in each survey are disturbing, and perhaps a related circumstance.”
Lack of funds and resources were cited as the number one reason for declining media interest and involvement in litigation, followed by a decline in the kind of reporting that requires assertive legal action to gain access to information. Read more.
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NFOIC is pleased to unveil a new bill tracking tool that will allow the public to more easily access information about transparency-related bills in their state. Fifty-one dashboards for each state and the District of Columbia are now available for viewing. The dashboards are powered by Quorum, a Washington D.C.-based software company, that scrapes every legislative website in real time.
To help sort through tens of thousands of bills and to help find the most relevant results, the dashboards only show bills that contain transparency-related terminology. NFOIC worked with its state coalitions across the U.S. to find terms that were most used or relevant to each state.
Since most state legislatures do not prominently identify introduced transparency-related bills, many state open government coalitions must rely on labor-intensive methods to single out and track them. NFOIC sought a technology solution to automate and better identify and track these bills.
The announcement comes on the heels of NFOIC’s latest research published last month, “ Legislating Open Government: The Prevalence of Transparency-Related Language in 2019 State Legislative Bills,” a months-long pilot project analyzing all bills introduced in 2019 sessions across the U.S. |
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State FOI coalitions and Sunshine Week
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Please note: Some of these events may be canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Check with your state coalition through the links below for the latest updates.
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Colorado
On Thursday, March 19, acclaimed Boulder-based journalist and author Jon Krakauer will headline the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition’s 2020 Sunshine Week panel about reporting on campus sexual assault and abuse. Krakauer will be joined by Missoulian newspaper editor Gwen Florio and Montana media attorney Mike Meloy for a discussion about whether federal and state laws designed to protect the privacy of students’ “educational records” are used improperly to shield how publicly funded institutions function. More info.
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New England
The New England First Amendment Coalition is participating in several events throughout the region:
- “How Transparent is New Hampshire Government and Why It Matters” at 5 p.m., March 10, at Nashua Community College, 505 Amherst Street, Room 150, in Nashua, N.H. More info.
- Cancelled - MuckRock's 10th Anniversary at a transparency-themeed science fair, 2 p.m., March 15, at Kensho Technologies, 44 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. More info.
- “Keeping the Light On: Holding Government Accountable” at 6 p.m., March 19, at the Loeb School, 749 East Industrial Drive in Manchester, N.H. More info.
- Cancelled - A discussion on journalism and government accountability at 2 p.m., March 22, at the Medfield Public Library, 468 Main Street in Medfield, MA. More info.
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New Mexico
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government is working a local television station to stage a call-in show during the 6 p.m. news. People who have questions about open records and open meetings will be urged to call. The New Mexico Broadcasters have offered to run a new set of radio and television PSAs about public records and FOG and the PSAs will kick off during Sunshine week. They will also work with the New Mexico Press Association, asking their members to publish an op-ed about the importance of public access to information. More info.
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North Carolina
The North Carolina Open Government Coalition, in partnership with the NC A&T State University chapter of the NABJ, is holding Sunshine Day 2020 on March 9. We will present a series of panels, awards, and the inaugural Frank Barrows Award for excellence in student journalism. Members of our board will participate in Sunshine Week events at UNC-CH and other locations the following week, including a seminar on Holding Power Accountable. More here.
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Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition (PaFOIC) is celebrating Sunshine Week with a return to active duty. The group is now meeting regularly, and is in the process of rebuilding its website, creating bridges with other open government advocates and starting new projects. More info.
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Virginia
Postponed (Rescheduled for May 21) The Virginia Coalition for Open Government will host its annual conference on March 20 in Harrisonburg. The conference includes FOIA training, a review of the 2020 General Assembly and other hands-on programming. More info.
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Washington
The Washington Coalition for Open Government will launch a membership and fundraising drive beginning Monday, March 16, running through the end of the month. The drive, which will include appeals to the general public will specifically direct outreach efforts to journalists, journalism students, and other media professionals in an effort to get those involved with the free press to recognize the importance of joining forces on transparency. The fundraising effort will also honor Sunshine Week and be aimed at our general membership as well as potential new donors and supporters. More info.
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Washington, D.C.
Postponed (Rescheduled for Spring)The D.C. Open Government Coalition invites you to its annual Sunshine Week gathering at 6:30 p.m. March 18 at the American Bar Association Conference Center. Agenda items include conversations on police body cameras, access to sexual assault information involving D.C. public schools, AI and public records and record custodian challenges. More info.
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Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council will reveal the winners of the 14th annual Openness in Government Awards, or "Opees," during Sunshine Week. The categories include Political Openness Award (“Popee”); Citizen Openness Award (“Copee”); Media Openness Award (“Mopee”); Open Records Scoop of the Year (“Scoopee”); Whistleblower of the Year (“Whoopee”); and No Friend of Openness (“Nopee”). Awards will be presented at the annual Watchdog Awards Dinner in Madison on April 21. More info.
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Click here to register.
Click here to reserve hotel rooms at the discounted
group rate of $145/night.
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