Tag Archives: open records

Is government too open? Have our records and meeting laws actually gone too far in pushing transparency, such that they interfere with the decision-making process of democracy to the detriment of our society? My answer, of course, is no. But I was intrigued by the question offered as a recent …

Now that I’ve vented my frustrations with the Legislature’s refusal to release records, I have some suggestions for how to fix it. In fact, the Legislature can make itself far more accountable on both records and meetings without sacrificing its authority to make its own rules and live by only …

Here’s my quote in the Associated Press story about the Legislature’s response to a request for some records: “I’m appalled by the breadth of the arrogance in this response.” I told reporter Michelle Rindels quite a bit more, too (which I’ll get to later), but I think this pretty well …

The following column is being published in Nevada newspapers this week. By Barry Smith In an age when government leaks, classified e-mails and court orders to unlock phones seem to make the news daily, it’s worth remembering why we insist on open and transparent government. Sunshine Week is the annual …

A coalition of media groups today urged every U.S. Senator to support legislation that establishes a presumption of openness in law, encourages agencies to use public-friendly technology, and makes other changes to the way agencies respond to requests for information from the public. The Sunshine in Government Initiative (SGI) sent …

It’s right there in the fourth sentence of Nevada’s open-records statute. “The use of private entities in the provision of public services must not deprive members of the public access to inspect and copy books and records relating to the provision of those services.” I always have to go back …

The best disinfectant. Let’s give credit where credit is due, as this is all about newspapers and journalism, where attribution is everything. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote it: “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; …

Thanks to the Reno Gazette-Journal for being willing to go to court to clarify the law on public records cf medical marijuana establishments. The city of Sparks, for some reason not readily apparent, is holding onto an interpretation of a poorly worded statute intended to protect medical-marijuana cardholders’ and physicians’ identities …

Don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they do. Here are two instances reported by Columbia Journalism Review of city officials trying to hide in plain sight. In one, a California town tried to claim video of its council meetings was copyrighted. The judge hearing the case, Michael Fitzgerald …