News - Page 51 of 125 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

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. [...]

21 Nov, 2017

TDEC clamps down on public records as tons of radioactive waste heads to Tennessee

By Deborah Fisher|2017-11-21T08:48:39-06:00November 21, 2017|Categories: exemptions|Tags: Camden, Decatur County, radioactive waste, TDEC, The Tennessean|0 Comments

The state has stopped allowing citizens access to how much low-level radioactive waste is going into landfills, according to a report by Nashville investigative journalist Anita Wadhwani in The Tennessean. Wadhwani reports that this clamp down on data by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation comes at the same time that waste processing companies in Tennessee "have filed notice that they plan to import 10,000 metric tons -- or more than 22 million pounds - of low-level nuclear waste from Canada for processing." It is not clear where that waste would go after processing. The newspaper reported that four Tennessee landfills are currently licensed to accept that type of [...]

20 Nov, 2017

Would your school board vote on a capital plan without public notice?

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:59:34-05:00November 20, 2017|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: adequate public notice, agendas, Chattanooga, Elisha Hodge, Hamilton County Board of Education, Hamilton County superintendent Bryan Johnson, Memphis Publishing Co. v. City of Memphis, Office of Open Records Counsel, school boards, Souder v. Health Partners|0 Comments

If there’s one type of governing body that generates the most open meetings questions to my help line, it’s school boards. So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a school board member for a moment and consider the following scenario. I hope it will provide you some ideas the next time you ask a school board candidate where he or she stands on government transparency. Instead of allowing the stock answer, “I’m pro-transparency,” how would your potential school board member react in this situation? Four months ago, the school board hires a new superintendent. He immediately faces a list of overdue capital improvement projects. Some schools need extensive repair [...]