Does a well-enforced freedom-of-information law lead to more honest government?Intuition says "of course," but a newly released study by a University of Missouri researcher challenges that assumption.Doctoral student Edson C.
Tag: FOI
Virginia Tech student newspaper won’t appeal dismissal in lawsuit seeking records about missing student
The case involving police records from a 1998 missing person investigation has been dismissed because the West Virginia State Police claim the records are part of an ongoing investigation.The Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student newspaper, wanted to access the police investigation file in 2009 when reporter Caleb Fleming was writing a story about the 10th anniversary of former Virginia Tech student Robert Kovack's disappearance.
States can restrict public records to residents, Supreme Court rules
In February, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving requests for public records from out-of-state residents.Monday, the court issued its unanimous opinion in the case, McBurney v.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Federal appeals court puts a stop to the “FOIA death spiral”
For years, federal agencies have been freezing journalists in public-records purgatory with a maddening tactic: The "thanks for your request, we'll respond to it (someday)" letter.It's the bureaucratic equivalent of the spinning beach ball of death, and twice as frustrating.Getting the "non-response response" letter trapped the requester in a no-win predicament.
SUNSHINE WEEK: University of Kansas responds to “Let’s Break FERPA” letter
"You can't have that, that's protected by FERPA" is one of the most common refrains we hear at SPLC.
Supreme Court hears arguments in out-of-state FOI case
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in McBurney v. Young, a case involving out-of-state public records requests.
Join SPLC’s Sunshine Week campus safety audit
In just a little over a month, journalists across the country will celebrate open government in action. Held annually in March, Sunshine Week is a chance for journalists to demonstrate to lawmakers and the public the importance of open government and easy access to public records.In the past, the Student Press Law Center has teamed up with student journalists across the country on public records projects.
Judge says records in Cornell hazing death aren’t protected by FERPA
Earlier this month, a New York state Supreme Court judge said records dealing with a 2011 hazing incident and previous misconduct within Cornell University's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter are not protected by FERPA, the federal student privacy law.
To fix FERPA, raise the price of lying
Put yourself in the place of a school or college attorney. Your client, the institution, is trying to decide whether to fulfill or reject a journalist's request for public records.Honoring the request is going to be a nuisance, and the records contain some embarrassing information the school would rather not see on the evening news.The records pretty clearly don't contain any confidential student information -- but the journalist can't easily prove that.
Congress quietly liberalizes FERPA information access to benefit foster children
Unnoticed amid the nationwide will-they-or-won't-they fixation with the "fiscal cliff," Congress quietly sent President Obama a revision to the federal student privacy law that broadens access to student records for social workers.The Uninterrupted Scholars Act (S.