Tennessee Coalition for Open Government Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

27 Oct, 2025

‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’
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‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’

By Deborah Fisher|2025-10-30T09:24:49-05:00October 27, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Marc Perrusquia|0 Comments

By Marc Perrusquia Earlier this week I had the honor of being recognized by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government for my work in the freedom-of-information field. I’m grateful to TCOG for dubbing me an “Open Government Champion,” a sort of lifetime achievement award for journalists. I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of good people over the years and this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my many colleagues at The Commercial Appeal, the Institute for Public Service Reporting and the University of Memphis. Awards are nice. But they also provide a chance to pause and reflect, to measure the pain and pleasure of our [...]

24 Oct, 2025

TCOG salutes open government champions
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TCOG salutes open government champions

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

TCOG salutes open government champions

By Deborah Fisher|2025-10-24T09:38:47-05:00October 24, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Dorothy Bowles, Ken Paulson, Marc Perrusquia, Phil Williams|0 Comments

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government honored four individuals at its Salute to Open Government Champions on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Riverside Revival in Nashville. More than 130 people attended the gathering to celebrate the honorees and support TCOG in its mission to preserve, protect and improve citizen access to public information and open government in Tennessee. Honored were Ken Paulson, Dr. Dorothy Bowles, Marc Perrusquia and Phil Williams.

2 Jul, 2025

Let’s revisit the Declaration of Independence to remember our freedoms
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Let’s revisit the Declaration of Independence to remember our freedoms

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Let’s revisit the Declaration of Independence to remember our freedoms

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-02T10:45:27-05:00July 2, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|0 Comments

The framers of the Declaration of Independence believed everyone should think for themselves and we don't have to rely on a "minister of truth" to command our thoughts and expression. In this column, Larry Burris reminds us of the phrases in the Declaration of Independence that put the people ultimately in charge in the government and the need of the people to have information about government to keep themselves informed.

30 Jun, 2025

The public deserved information and didn’t get it with the $1.5 billion refund decision
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The public deserved information and didn’t get it with the $1.5 billion refund decision

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

The public deserved information and didn’t get it with the $1.5 billion refund decision

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-02T10:26:01-05:00June 30, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|0 Comments

If the people are to have control over their government — and not the other way around — people need access to information and details about how government is working. Tennessee's recent payment of $1.5 billion in "refunds" to businesses deserved more transparency, most especially around the people and specifics that drove the decision.

22 Nov, 2024

Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records
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Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records

court records, First Amendment, public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records

By Deborah Fisher|2024-11-22T11:08:52-06:00November 22, 2024|Categories: court records, First Amendment, public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Angelita Dalton, Cheryl Blackburn, Daniel Horwitz, Paul McAdoo, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, sealed court records, Steve Cavendish, The Nashville Banner|0 Comments

The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in which a lower court judge refused to unseal court records in a test of the First Amendment right of access by the public to court proceedings and court documents.