Tennessee Coalition for Open Government Archives - Page 12 of 21

26 Jan, 2018

New Pentagon Papers movie wins because the press fought for the people’s right to know

By Deborah Fisher|2018-01-26T08:04:37-06:00January 26, 2018|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: classified documents, national security, Pentagon Papers, press freedom|0 Comments

The movie The Post about the Pentagon Papers case in 1971 has been called a “love letter” to the press. But it could just as well be considered a love letter to the public’s right to know. The Pentagon Papers, which were classified documents leaked to the New York Times, exposed how five presidential administrations — from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon — had lied to the public and to Congress about the Vietnam war where 58,000 American lives were lost. Tom Hanks (center) plays the Washington Post's editor in The Post, a movie about the publication of classified information from the Pentagon Papers that ended up before the [...]

18 Dec, 2017

Knox County Commission removes photography ban on public records

By Deborah Fisher|2017-12-19T08:47:42-06:00December 18, 2017|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Knox County Commission, model public records policy, Office of Open Records Counsel, photos of public records, public records request coordinators, Tim Burchett|2 Comments

The Knox County Commission tonight eliminated a short-lived ban on photography of public records and updated its public records policy to allow citizens to use personal equipment to make their own copies subject to some rules. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett Mayor Tim Burchett had requested the change and in a consent vote, commissioners unanimously supported removing the ban. TCOG has tracked the growing issue of government entities suddenly banning people from snapping photos with their smartphones of public records they are inspecting. This has particularly affected journalists who use phones to take notes and share information. The Knox County Commission's action appears to be the first of [...]

6 Dec, 2017

Knox County mayor proposes removing photography ban on public records

By Deborah Fisher|2017-12-06T09:20:54-06:00December 6, 2017|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Knox County, Lee Pope, Office of Open Records Counsel, photos of public records, State Sen. Mike Bell, Tim Burchett|0 Comments

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has proposed changing the county's public records policy to remove the ban on taking pictures of public records, a ban that was adopted when the county updated its public records policy to include language from a state model policy. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett “In Tennessee, citizens can inspect public documents at no charge. There’s no reason they shouldn’t also be allowed to take pictures of those records with their own cellphone cameras,” Burchett said in a new release. “Our taxpayers already pay for these documents and access to public records shouldn’t be limited only to those who can afford to pay for [...]

30 Nov, 2017

Court of Appeals gives NewsChannel 5 Phil Williams a win in ongoing libel case by DA

By Deborah Fisher|2017-12-01T07:17:22-06:00November 30, 2017|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: courts, Glenn Funk, Judge Andy Bennett, Judge Richard Dinkins, Judge Willam Acree, Phil Williams, W. Neal McBrayer|0 Comments

The Court of Appeals affirmed today that fair and accurate news reports of judicial proceedings are protected from defamation claims, giving a win to NewsChannel 5 and its chief investigative reporter Phil Williams in an ongoing libel suit by Davidson County's district attorney. The win was also one for the public, who rely on news media to report on what is happening in our courtrooms. NewsChannel 5 chief investigative reporter Phil Williams Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk sued NewsChannel 5, owned by Scripps Media, Inc., after reports by Williams were aired in February 2016 that were based on allegations in lawsuits by real estate developer David Chase. [...]

20 Oct, 2017

NFOIC: Key open government challenges in states emerge from 2017 FOI summit

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-20T09:39:50-05:00October 20, 2017|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Dan Bevarly, government contracts, Mal Leary, NFOIC, NFOIC summit, private email, reverse FOI lawsuits, texting|0 Comments

This from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which held its 2017 FOI Summit in Nashville Oct. 13-14: Dan Bevarly, executive director of National Freedom of Information Coalition The National Freedom of Information Coalition concluded its 2017 FOI Summit in Nashville over the weekend. The annual two-day event features presentations from FOI experts and practitioners on trending FOI and open government issues in public institutions at the state and local levels. Summit attendees include NFOIC’s state coalition directors, journalists, media lawyers and first amendment watchdogs. The Tennessee Coalition of Open Government served as summit co-host. This year’s gathering highlighted key FOI challenges emerging in state and local governments including: Growing [...]