PPD, 8/4/07, p. 1C: "Now who do I sue" is a story about possible lawsuits stemming from bridge collapse. It also includes discussion about a City of Mpls. lawsuit settlement that should have been public but was not.
Strib, 8/7/07, p. A1: "Buzz begins over the future of state transportation Comm'r" includes note about MnDOT taking the names and phone numbers (public data) of bridge inspectors off its website because of "possibly threatening calls". (Emphasis added.)
PPD, 8/8/07, p. 1A: "As bridge aged, its rating improved inexplicably" includes following statement:
"What prompted the [rating] increase is unclear . . . . " Illustrates need for complete government data.
Strib, 8/9/07, p. B1; 'Popular North Side police official demoted" includes statement by Chief Dolan that reasons were between him and Edwards. Thought this was public data.
Strib, 8/12/07, p. A14: "Out east, E-Z pass gives drivers a fast lane to divorce court" illustrates the unintended consequence of surveillance type electronic "convenience".
PPD, 8/12/07, p. 6A: "Chinese city tracks its citizens" using a system being bankrolled by banks in the United States. (1984 meets Wall Street.)
PPD, 8/15/07, p. 7B: "Teen charged in 15 year old's death" includes statement from sheriff that he is withholding the identity of the victim because "data practices issues". (Names of victims of crimes are almost always public.)
Strib, 8/15/07, p. B5: "Body found near Backus was of girl, 15" contains same statement as above.
Strib, 8/16/07, p. A11: "Rumsfeld quite day before election" does not explain that his resignation letter was obtained using the federal FOIA.
PPD, 8/16/07, p. 8A: In Iraq update story about Rumsfeld resignation letter, "The word Iraq doesn't appear. . . ." does explain letter obtained under FOIA.
PPD, 8/17/07, p. 6A: "FBI director's notes detail meeting a 'feeble' Ashcroft" is based on government data. Similar story in 8/17 Strib.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Citizen-centered Government - Event Sept 27, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.:* The Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy will co-host a daylong conference on Thursday, September 27, to promote enhancing the role of citizens in a digital world.
"Citizen-centered Government Websites: The User Experience, E-Democracy, and Web 2.0" will feature speakers who will talk about how government websites and tools can further engage citizens in problem solving while improving their experience with a government agency. All are invited to attend. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Find out more and register online.
The free event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the University's Government Publications Library's status as an official federal repository.
"Citizen-centered Government Websites: The User Experience, E-Democracy, and Web 2.0" will feature speakers who will talk about how government websites and tools can further engage citizens in problem solving while improving their experience with a government agency. All are invited to attend. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Find out more and register online.
The free event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the University's Government Publications Library's status as an official federal repository.
Access to White House Records - Event Sept 17, 2007
Monday, September 17, 5:30 p.m.
Access to White House records is being narrowed as more types of communications are not being preserved (including e-mail) or are being removed by the White House from public viewing.
Professor Larry Jacobs will talk about the importance of maintaining robust access to presidential communications and its implications for American democracy at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 17, in Wilson Library on the West Bank.
Access to White House records is being narrowed as more types of communications are not being preserved (including e-mail) or are being removed by the White House from public viewing.
Professor Larry Jacobs will talk about the importance of maintaining robust access to presidential communications and its implications for American democracy at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 17, in Wilson Library on the West Bank.
Monday, August 6, 2007
July 27 to August 4 - Bridge Collaspe included
Strib=Star Tribune of Minneapolis PPD=St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch
Strib. 7/27, p. B1: "Pension case settled for 1% of losses" is a story based on government data.
Strib, 7/27, p. B1: "Three trucking firms falsified reports, official affidavits say" is a story based on government data.
PPD. 7/29, p. 9A: "Bush appointee blocked health report" is another instance of suppression of government information. (Similar story on in Strib. on 7/28.)
PPD, 7/31, p. 1B: "Prosecutors admit key evidence withheld" illustrates game playing with government data and inattention to retention policies. It also includes an incorrect interpretation of the Data Practices Act. (Similar story same day on p. B4 of Strib.)
PPD, 7/31, p.3B: "Medication errors cited in Veterans home report" is a story based on government data.
Strib, 7/31, p B1: "City report warned of times to be out of the sewer" is a story based on a government report.
PPD, 8/1, p.1A: "Key bridge in light rail plan can't hold trains" is a story based on a draft report ob trained under the MGDPA.
PPD, 8/3, p. 1B: "High court upholds breath test challenge" illustrates the growth of difficult government information issues when you combine the government with technology and copyrighted computer code.
PPD, 8/4, p. 1C: "Now, who do I sue" is a discussion of the fallout from the bridge collapse. However, it also contains information about a secret settlement in a previous lawsuit.
Strib. 7/27, p. B1: "Pension case settled for 1% of losses" is a story based on government data.
Strib, 7/27, p. B1: "Three trucking firms falsified reports, official affidavits say" is a story based on government data.
PPD. 7/29, p. 9A: "Bush appointee blocked health report" is another instance of suppression of government information. (Similar story on in Strib. on 7/28.)
PPD, 7/31, p. 1B: "Prosecutors admit key evidence withheld" illustrates game playing with government data and inattention to retention policies. It also includes an incorrect interpretation of the Data Practices Act. (Similar story same day on p. B4 of Strib.)
PPD, 7/31, p.3B: "Medication errors cited in Veterans home report" is a story based on government data.
Strib, 7/31, p B1: "City report warned of times to be out of the sewer" is a story based on a government report.
PPD, 8/1, p.1A: "Key bridge in light rail plan can't hold trains" is a story based on a draft report ob trained under the MGDPA.
PPD, 8/3, p. 1B: "High court upholds breath test challenge" illustrates the growth of difficult government information issues when you combine the government with technology and copyrighted computer code.
PPD, 8/4, p. 1C: "Now, who do I sue" is a discussion of the fallout from the bridge collapse. However, it also contains information about a secret settlement in a previous lawsuit.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Government Data News Summary July 17 to July 21
Strib = Star Tribune and PPD = St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch
Strib, 7/17, p. A10: In Nation and World section, story headlined "University President, two others forced out" is about what happened after these officials covered up a rape and murder in a dorm at Eastern Michigan University.
(Same/similar story on page 2A of 7/17 PPD.)
FULL TEXT HERE from www.startribune.com
MICHIGAN
University president, two others forced out
Three Eastern Michigan University administrators -- President John Fallon, Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall -- lost their jobs at the 23,500-student university, months after they were accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student. The school officials publicly ruled out foul play in the Dec. 15 death of Laura Dickinson, 22, despite evidence to the contrary. It was not until another student, Orange Taylor III, was arrested in February and charged with murder that Dickinson's family and other students learned that she had been raped and killed. Taylor has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial Oct. 15.
Strib, 7/19, p. 1B: "Folks still flocking to Cities? Maybe not" is a story based on government data and disagreements between agencies about how to count migration.
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1311416.html
PPD, 7/20, p. 1A: "Reported dog attacks on rise" is a story based on government data. Similar story in Strib on same day.
PPD, 7/21, p. 4B: "Couple exposes drug raid error" is a story about a drug raid gone awry. This story presents an interesting public data issue because the police agencies refuse to name the officers involved.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_6428965?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1
Strib, 7/17, p. A10: In Nation and World section, story headlined "University President, two others forced out" is about what happened after these officials covered up a rape and murder in a dorm at Eastern Michigan University.
(Same/similar story on page 2A of 7/17 PPD.)
FULL TEXT HERE from www.startribune.com
MICHIGAN
University president, two others forced out
Three Eastern Michigan University administrators -- President John Fallon, Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall -- lost their jobs at the 23,500-student university, months after they were accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student. The school officials publicly ruled out foul play in the Dec. 15 death of Laura Dickinson, 22, despite evidence to the contrary. It was not until another student, Orange Taylor III, was arrested in February and charged with murder that Dickinson's family and other students learned that she had been raped and killed. Taylor has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial Oct. 15.
Strib, 7/19, p. 1B: "Folks still flocking to Cities? Maybe not" is a story based on government data and disagreements between agencies about how to count migration.
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1311416.html
PPD, 7/20, p. 1A: "Reported dog attacks on rise" is a story based on government data. Similar story in Strib on same day.
PPD, 7/21, p. 4B: "Couple exposes drug raid error" is a story about a drug raid gone awry. This story presents an interesting public data issue because the police agencies refuse to name the officers involved.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_6428965?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
News Summary - July 4th to July 8th
Strib=Star Tribune PPD=St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch
Strib, 7/4, p A7. In "World and Nation" section, a story headlined "Michigan university breaks law in handling killing" describes a cover up of information about an on campus murder. The cover up violates a federal law that requires public reports of incidents of violence on campuses.
Strib, 7/4, p. A11. "She wrote a check, became a target" is a story about use of federal campaign contribution information to harass someone because they worked for a company that does testing using animals.
PPD, 7/4, p. 3A. "Private contractors outnumber troops in Iraq" is based on government data.
Strib, 7/5, p. A3. "Contractors exceed troop level in Iraq" is the Strib version of the story noted above.
Strib, 7/5, p. A8. "Passport crisis diverts diplomats" is based on government data.
PPD, 7/5, p. 1B. "Background checks for volunteers will be free" describes another creative use of government data, i.e. checking up on the backgrounds of school dance chaperones and other volunteers.
PPD, 7/8, p. 1A. "From dreams to desolation" is a story based on government data.
Strib, 7/4, p A7. In "World and Nation" section, a story headlined "Michigan university breaks law in handling killing" describes a cover up of information about an on campus murder. The cover up violates a federal law that requires public reports of incidents of violence on campuses.
Strib, 7/4, p. A11. "She wrote a check, became a target" is a story about use of federal campaign contribution information to harass someone because they worked for a company that does testing using animals.
PPD, 7/4, p. 3A. "Private contractors outnumber troops in Iraq" is based on government data.
Strib, 7/5, p. A3. "Contractors exceed troop level in Iraq" is the Strib version of the story noted above.
Strib, 7/5, p. A8. "Passport crisis diverts diplomats" is based on government data.
PPD, 7/5, p. 1B. "Background checks for volunteers will be free" describes another creative use of government data, i.e. checking up on the backgrounds of school dance chaperones and other volunteers.
PPD, 7/8, p. 1A. "From dreams to desolation" is a story based on government data.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Recent Freedom of Information Act article
FOIA Facts: Two Steps Forward, (At Least) One Step BackBy Scott A. Hodes, Published on June 25, 2007
[Mr. Hodes served at the Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy from 1991 until 1998. His website is InfoPrivacylaw.com, and he is a member of the DC and Maryland bars.]
Public Access to government records is moving forward in at least a couple of areas. The Department of Justice has released a searchable Foreign Agents Registration Act database, available here. While not all FARA documents are available due to some privacy issues that the Department of Justice is still working out, a publicly available database is a great step in the direction of public access to documents.
And the FOIA amendments continue to move along in Congress. The House has passed its version, and Senate approval is pending the removal of a once secret hold put on the legislation by Sen. Jon Kyle of Arizona. Kyle claims he put the hold on the bill because of Department of Justice objections to the bill (which makes me think that the Department of Justice folks all failed civics class because they can offer changes to the bill through different legislators such as the previously mentioned Sen. Kyle). While I have some trepidation about some parts of the amendments, overall they are another step in the right direction in fixing some of the problems in FOIA processing. And I also believe that, eventually, the amendments will pass in some form and become law.
However, recent moves by the administration are at least one step back in public access to government records. The White House has recently taken steps to make visitor logs to the White House inaccessible through the Freedom of Information Act. In the past, the logs were maintained by the Secret Service, which is a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security. A requester could seek the records through a FOIA request to the Secret Service. However, the administration recently brokered a deal through the National Archives in which the logs for the White House and the Vice President's residence are no longer considered to be maintained by the Secret Service, but by a component of the White House that is not subject to the FOIA. Thus, the only means of access to these logs is through the Presidential Records Act, which withholds the documents until the current administration is long gone from Washington, D.C.
These maneuverings, have been, and continue to be contested by a number of plaintiffs. The issues are whose records are they (White House or Secret Service); and if they belong to the Secret Service, must they be released pursuant to the FOIA. Regardless of the outcome of the litigation, the mere fact that groups have had to go to court to get access to the identity of visitors to the White House and the Vice-President's residence and office is a huge step back for public access to information. And the bigger question is, what other government records formerly covered by FOIA have been transferred to non-FOIA status recently? The answer to that determines how many steps back have been taken, not just for the FOIA, but for democracy itself.
Copyright © 1996-2007 LLRX, LLC.
http://www.llrx.com/columns/foia42.htm
Justia Legal WebSite Design
[Mr. Hodes served at the Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy from 1991 until 1998. His website is InfoPrivacylaw.com, and he is a member of the DC and Maryland bars.]
Public Access to government records is moving forward in at least a couple of areas. The Department of Justice has released a searchable Foreign Agents Registration Act database, available here. While not all FARA documents are available due to some privacy issues that the Department of Justice is still working out, a publicly available database is a great step in the direction of public access to documents.
And the FOIA amendments continue to move along in Congress. The House has passed its version, and Senate approval is pending the removal of a once secret hold put on the legislation by Sen. Jon Kyle of Arizona. Kyle claims he put the hold on the bill because of Department of Justice objections to the bill (which makes me think that the Department of Justice folks all failed civics class because they can offer changes to the bill through different legislators such as the previously mentioned Sen. Kyle). While I have some trepidation about some parts of the amendments, overall they are another step in the right direction in fixing some of the problems in FOIA processing. And I also believe that, eventually, the amendments will pass in some form and become law.
However, recent moves by the administration are at least one step back in public access to government records. The White House has recently taken steps to make visitor logs to the White House inaccessible through the Freedom of Information Act. In the past, the logs were maintained by the Secret Service, which is a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security. A requester could seek the records through a FOIA request to the Secret Service. However, the administration recently brokered a deal through the National Archives in which the logs for the White House and the Vice President's residence are no longer considered to be maintained by the Secret Service, but by a component of the White House that is not subject to the FOIA. Thus, the only means of access to these logs is through the Presidential Records Act, which withholds the documents until the current administration is long gone from Washington, D.C.
These maneuverings, have been, and continue to be contested by a number of plaintiffs. The issues are whose records are they (White House or Secret Service); and if they belong to the Secret Service, must they be released pursuant to the FOIA. Regardless of the outcome of the litigation, the mere fact that groups have had to go to court to get access to the identity of visitors to the White House and the Vice-President's residence and office is a huge step back for public access to information. And the bigger question is, what other government records formerly covered by FOIA have been transferred to non-FOIA status recently? The answer to that determines how many steps back have been taken, not just for the FOIA, but for democracy itself.
Copyright © 1996-2007 LLRX, LLC.
http://www.llrx.com/columns/foia42.htm
Justia Legal WebSite Design
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