Public Records Archives - Page 56 of 74 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

29 May, 2015

Supreme Court case will decide public access to police files

By Deborah Fisher|2018-08-06T08:57:49-05:00May 29, 2015|Categories: crime records, investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Janet Kleinfelter|0 Comments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - News media organizations on Thursday asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to rule that some police records should be open to the public, even during an investigation and trial, while attorneys for the government argued that court rules put those records off-limits. The Tennessean requested police records involving former Vanderbilt football players charged in the 2013 rape of a fellow student in a campus dormitory. Metro Nashville Police denied the request and the newspaper sued, along with other news media organizations, including The Associated Press. At a Thursday hearing, government attorneys argued that a court rule protects evidence in a police file from public scrutiny until after [...]

8 May, 2015

Lawmakers cry foul over release of cost of health insurance

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T08:23:56-05:00May 8, 2015|Categories: HIPAA|Tags: A C Wharton Jr.|0 Comments

A state agency's release of the cost of lawmaker health insurance caused a commotion among several who tried to stop it, claiming violation of privacy laws. The information, requested by The Tennesseean using the Tennessee Public Records Act, showed that the state has spent $5.8 million since 2008 for health insurance premiums for state lawmakers, with lawmakers contributing $1.4 million toward their health plans. The Tennessean got a first look at the records, requested in February, on Wednesday. The records showed how much each individual lawmaker had paid for his or her health insurance in that time period and how much the state had picked up. State Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin [...]

6 May, 2015

The Tennessean: UT withholds emails about student athletes, citing FERPA

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T08:28:19-05:00May 6, 2015|Categories: requests|Tags: emails, FERPA, Maria DeVarenne, The Tennessean, University of Tennessee|0 Comments

The Tennessean's news director Maria DeVarenne said the University of Tennessee is stonewalling the news organization's efforts to report on allegations of sexual assault against football players. In a story published today, reporter Anita Wadhwani reports that the university withheld emails between administrators "that could shed light on how the university and its athletics department responded to allegations of sexual assault against student-athletes." The university said emails about the students are protected under the Tennessee Public Records Act and the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. More from the story: The Tennessean in November requested email messages containing the names of five current or former UT football and basketball [...]

5 May, 2015

Memphis report charts new approach to handling public records requests

By Deborah Fisher|2015-06-19T16:53:45-05:00May 5, 2015|Categories: Public Records, requests|Tags: A C Wharton Jr., fees for public records, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, open data, public records request, public records training, Sunlight Foundation, The Commercial Appeal|0 Comments

A top-to-bottom review presented to the mayor of Memphis last week charts a new approach to handling public records requests in Tennessee and takes direct aim at improving the underlying culture of openness. Among the 23 recommendations, it suggests a “fresh start” by re-assigning current public records custodians “to prevent adoption of incorrect methods or bad habits that have formed as part of the culture of the division or the department in which they work.” It talks about a “customer-friendly attitude,” suggests appointing a public records ombudsman to resolve disputes, and recommends a training program that would include a mix of city officials, media representatives and citizens “so each can gain [...]

4 May, 2015

Memphis public records report lists deficiencies, recommends 23 changes

By Deborah Fisher|2015-05-04T15:18:45-05:00May 4, 2015|Categories: Public Records|Tags: AC Wharton Jr., Memphis, Mike Carpenter|0 Comments

In late March, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. requested Mike Carpenter, a former county commissioner and now executive director of the Plough Foundation, to conduct of review of how the city responds to public records requests and make recommendations on improvements. The report, Review of Public Records and Transparency in City Government, was delivered to the mayor late last week. Carpenter interviewed numerous sources to understand the processes and the tensions, including city and county employees, local reporters and editors, and experts on open government, including TCOG and the national group, The Sunlight Foundation. Wharton asked for a "comprehensive review" to see if the city was "not just meeting the letter [...]