MNCOGI

Transparency and academic freedom in Texas

2010-11-17T09:20:00.000-06:00

An article in the September/October issue of ACADEME, "Three Clicks and Academic Freedom is Out," describes a new law in Texas. As a result of legislation passed in 2009, all public universities are required to post detailed syllabi for all undergraduate courses, a curriculum vitae for each regular instructor, a department budget report for each course offered, and reports of student course evaluations. The author notes this law as an example of how "activists, notable in Texas but with ties to other states and to national groups, have adopted the rhetoric of transparency to further their own conservative agendas."

College Records are Public Documents Too

2010-09-20T14:46:00.001-05:00

David Cuillier will be speaking at the upcoming COGI-tations lecture, "Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records," on September 27, 2010. Cuillier wrote The Art of Access with Charles Davis of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. Since there will always be more stories about public records being concealed or revealed, they maintain an blog with the same name. An interesting recent post described a lawsuit filed by an open government group in California, asking California State University to disclose their speakers contract for a recent appearance by Sarah Palin. The contract was a public record, Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne ruled. See the story: "Bendable Straws.. Really?"

Upcoming COGI-tations Lecture (in which you will learn there is nothing dry about government records)

2010-09-10T16:07:00.000-05:00

If you can get up early on a Monday morning, there's a great lecture coming up on September 27, part of the COGI-tations series from the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI). The guest speaker is David Cuillier, Professor of Journalism at the University of Arizona and co-author of the newly-published book, The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records.

Cuillier's talk is "Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records."

His book is filled with government record research tips - questions to ask, examples of request letters, and interesting real-life stories. Fascinating pull-out "Pro Tips" by journalists and attorneys throughout the book are inspiring.

This MNCOGI session will be energizing for journalists, librarians, researchers, and citizen activists. You'll learn about where to look for government records and how to work with government agencies to get them (and never take no for an answer!).

The details:

Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records

8 - 9:30 a.m. (Doors open for coffee and rolls at 7:45)
Monday, September 27, 2010

WomenVenture (map)
2324 University Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55114
(free parking!)

Quote from THE ART OF ACCESS: "Just as Trump is in charge of his private company, we the citizens are quite literally in charge of our public companies - federal, state and local agencies. Government employees work for us. We pay their salaries. As their bosses, we have not just the authority but the duty to make sure out employees are doing what we pay them to do. If they aren't we point them to the door. That's democracy. Thomas Jefferson said our country is based on government "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."" (p. 21)

MNCOGI's COGI-tations series returns! Monday, September 27 & Wednesday, November 17

2010-08-19T18:52:00.000-05:00

Monday morning, September 27 (breakfast, time tbd)
Women Ventures Meeting Room, 2324 Univ. Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55114

David Cuillier speaks on his latest book, The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records. He is the Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom Of Information Committee Chair and teaches journalism at the University of Arizona.

Wednesday, November 17. Two sessions on the MN Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA).
Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls, MN 55401

Morning session from 10:30-12. The fundamentals of the MGDPA led by Don Gemberling
Afternoon session from 1-2. Panel discussion on the impact of new technology on the MGDPA, moderated by Eric Magnuson, recently retired Chief Justice, MN Supreme Court.

Both events are free.
Breakfast provided on 9/27; box lunch provided on 11/17.
Hope you can join us!

MNCOGI received funding for both events from the NFOIC through a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Attend a free Eonomic Census seminar, Tuesday, August 31

2010-07-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

This just in from Kirsten Clark, MNCOGI Board member & Regional Librarian at U of MN:

Free Seminar on the Economic Census

Date: August 31, 2010
Location: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (West Bank), Andersen Library, Room 120
Session Times: 9am - noon (Session 1) and 1pm - 4pm (Session 2)
Both sessions cover the same information.

Trainers from the Census Bureau will introduce new information about the American economy available through the 2007 Economic Census. Attendees will gain skills in accessing Economic Census data in American FactFinder, learn practical applications of the data, and see what others have done with the data. Trainers will demonstrate a series of exercises structured to reinforce key concepts, working with industry and local area data.

* Are you new to the Economic Census? You will learn about the range of business data available from the Census Bureau, including the Economic Census conducted every 5 years, and more frequent reports.
* Are you an experienced data user? You will learn about new features of the data, shortcuts for more efficient data access, comparability issues, and qualifications of the data.

Registration information as well as additional information about the seminars is available at: http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu/regional/outreach/meetings/EconomicCensus.phtml.
----------------------------
Kirsten Clark
Government Information and Regional Depository Librarian
10 Wilson Library
University of Minnesota
309 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0414

email: clark881@umn.edu
phone: 612-626-7520
fax: 612-626-9353
web: http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu
Gtalk: clark881@umn.edu

Don Gemberling is Co-chair of a New Work Group on Gang Databases

2010-07-20T17:28:00.000-05:00

2010 marks the first year that the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information has been mentioned in a law passed by the Minnesota Legislature. In Chapter 383, Section 6, MNCOGI was listed as one of the groups to be represented in a new work group convened by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to “discuss issues and laws pertaining to criminal intelligence databases.” Not only was Don Gemberling from MNCOGI appointed to the group, he is one of the two co-chairs. Additional information on appointments is found in this article from Politics in Minnesota. Here's the text of the law requiring the work group.

"Sec. 6. WORK GROUP. (a) The superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension shall convene a work group of stakeholders and
interested parties to: (1) discuss issues and laws pertaining to
criminal intelligence databases; and (2) make recommendations on
proposed legislative changes for the classification, storage,
dissemination, and use of criminal investigative data, including data
from other states, and for guidelines governing usage and collection
of criminal investigative data held by law enforcement agencies. The
work group shall be chaired by a representative from the Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension and a representative from the Minnesota
Coalition on Government Information. The work group must include one
representative from each of the following organizations: the
Minnesota Sheriffs' Association; the Minnesota Chiefs of Police
Association; the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association; the
American Civil Liberties Union - Minnesota; the Minnesota Newspaper
Association; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People; the councils created in Minnesota Statutes, sections 3.922,
3.9223, 3.9225, and 3.9226; the Board of Public Defense; the
Minnesota County Attorneys Association; and the Minnesota City
Attorneys Association; and a citizen member who is knowledgeable in
data privacy issues. The work group must be balanced between law
enforcement and nonlaw enforcement representatives. The work group
shall not exceed 20 members, including chairs. In its discussions,
the work group shall balance public safety and privacy interests,
state policy according to Minnesota Statutes, section 260B.002,
oversight, minimization of discretion, and regulation of the
collection of these data, including the individualized criteria for
inclusion in a computerized gang database. (b) By February 1, 2011,
the work group shall submit an executive summary document to the
chairs and ranking minority members of the committees of the senate
and house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice
and data practices issues. The document must summarize the work group
meetings and outline proposed legislative changes to implement
recommendations on which there is agreement. The Department of Public
Safety shall provide administrative support to the work group."

Fair Use and Social Media: A Primer

2010-06-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Presenter: Paul Hannah
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Women Venture Meeting Room
2324 University Ave West, St. Paul (just East of Raymond)
A COGI-tations Event

Confused about how and when Fair Use applies to entries on Facebook, Twitter and blogs? Paul Hannah, media lawyer, provides pointers on Copyright law for journalists, concerned citizens, bloggers and all concerned about Fair Use in online expressions. As a well-known Twin Cities media attorney, Mr. Hannah knows the law and can clarify it for those who may be intimidated, confused or overwhelmed by it.

This event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available.

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.

Sunshine Week Event featuring Jane Kirtley

2010-03-02T16:24:00.005-06:00

Jane Kirtley
Freedom of Information: Your Key to Open Government

Monday, March 15, 2010
12:00 Noon

James J. Hill Reference Library
80 West 4th Street, St. Paul

Event flyer

Sunshine Week Toolkit

Chief Justice Magnuson Keynote at 21st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony

2010-03-02T15:52:00.004-06:00

Freedom of Information advocates hear Chief Justice Magnuson, honor local newspaper editor Anfinson and promote open access

Event flyer

Chief Justice Eric J. Magnuson will deliver the keynote speech at the 21^st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony on Tuesday, March 16, Noon-1:00 at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Auditorium. Chief Justice Magnuson will explore the freedom of information implications of two significant processes with which he has been closely involved – the Minnesota Senate election recount and the ongoing debate surrounding the issue of cameras in the courtroom.

A highlight of the Freedom of Information Day event is presentation of the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Reed Anfinson, publisher and owner of the Swift County Monitor-News will receive the award which recognizes his commitment to transparency and open government at the local and national levels. Anfinson is on the Board of the National Newspaper Association; in 2012 he will assume the national presidency of the association. Finnegan, for whom the award was named two decades ago, will make the presentation. The Award is a testament to Finnegan’s lifetime commitment to a free press and a transparent government.

Open government advocates celebrate Freedom of Information Day each year on March 16, the birth date of James Madison. Often identified as the Father (or one of the fathers) of the Constitution, Madison is a hero of freedom of information proponents who are wont to quote Madison’s admonition that “a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or perhaps both.”

Sponsors of Freedom of Information Day at the national and levels include a host of professional and advocacy organizations - journalists and newspaper editors, librarians, researchers and archivists, diverse nonprofit groups committed to open and accessible government, particularly in an era of economic, political and technological change. Freedom of Information Day is the highlight of Sunshine Week, an initiative of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Local sponsor of FOI is the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information. The event is free and open to the public.

For additional information about Freedom of Information Day, Sunshine Week, or the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information contact:

Mary Treacy, Executive Director

Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

mtreacy@onvoymail.com

612 781 4234 or 612 703 3290

Sunshine Week 2010 Webcast – Building Transparency

2010-02-13T20:03:00.008-06:00

Friday, March 19, 2010

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST

Participants in past Sunshine Week webcasts have expressed a preference for viewing/participating from their own office rather than gathering for a group view.

No registration required.

The link will be available 24 hrs. prior to the event at the SW event page.
http://www.openthegovernment.org/article/articleview/420/
Panelists include Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform; and Miriam Nisbet, Director of the Office of Government Information.

Reed Anfinson Receives John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award

2010-02-12T14:20:00.004-06:00

February 8, 2010 -- The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI) announced today that Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, will receive the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Anfinson will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day recognition event, on Tuesday, March 16, noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

Anfinson is a long-term journalist and advocate for access to government information at the local, state and national levels. He has testified frequently before both the Minnesota Legislature and the U.S. Congress on Freedom of Information and First Amendment issues.

Since 1994 he has co-chaired the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s legislative committee and currently chairs the National Newspaper Association Government Relations Committee. In 2012 Anfinson becomes President of the National Newspaper Association.

For the past 30 years Anfinson has been associated with the Swift County Monitor-News as a reporter, managing editor, and now publisher and owner. In this role he has published frequent editorials and articles on open government, including articles on the state’s Data Practices Act, open meeting regulations and discussions of the impact of video and digital technology on public access.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, a nonprofit corporation formed in 1989, is dedicated to ensuring access to government information and public records. MNCOGI provides public education programs, manages a website and blog, maintains links with other state coalitions and promotes public awareness of information policy issues. In June 2009 MNCOGI hosted the annual Summit of the National Freedom of Information Coalition in Minneapolis.

The Freedom of Information Award, established by the Coalition in 1989, is named for John R. Finnegan, Sr, retired senior vice president and assistant publisher of the St Paul Pioneer Press. Finnegan is founder and stalwart of the Minnesota Joint Media Committee which has consistently supported open records, open meetings and other First Amendment-related causes in the Legislature and other public arenas in Minnesota.

*** Podcast interview with Reed Anfinson about the importance of Freedom of Information (conducted by Renee McGivern) ***

The Freedom of Information Day event is free and open to the public.

Additional information on the MNCOGI website at www.mncogi.org or contact mtreacy@onvoymail.com or 612-781-4234.

IPAD Open Meeting Law Workshop

2009-12-14T17:37:00.004-06:00

The Information Policy Analysis Division will present a half-day Open Meeting Law workshop on January 27 in St. Paul. The workshop offers a practical look at how public bodies in Minnesota can meet their obligations under the Open Meeting Law (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D).

What: Open Meeting Law Workshop

When: Wednesday, January 27, 2010; 8:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m.

Where: Department of Administration Building, 50 Sherburne Ave., St. Paul

Cost: $75 per person or $60 per person for groups or 4 or more

For information and registration, visit www.ipad.state.mn.us.

White House Launches Comprehensive Open Government Plan

2009-12-08T21:26:00.028-06:00

December 8, 2009 -- The Obama administration released the Comprehensive Open Government Plan today. Administered through the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the president demanded the directive be built around three main principles - transparency, participation, and collaboration. Specific requirements and deadlines are outlined for all agencies, and the directive centers on four main components: publishing information; creating a culture of openness; improving data quality; and updating policies to allow for greater openness.

Read the Open Government Directive

Commentary:
OMB Watch
National Security Archive Unredacted Blog
Steve Aftergood’s Secrecy News Blog
"Why an Open Government Matters"

Video:
The announcement was streamed live with U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, followed by a web forum where individuals could ask questions. Watch the video below, or at whitehouse.gov

Don Gemberling on Government Info

2009-11-20T15:13:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Don Gemberling for sending us a series of articles that were originally published on the Pioneer Press:

A Price Of Ignorance In Minnesota - State Open-Government Law Loses Strength If Citizens Don't Know It
Sunshine Week - Accountable Government Requires Accessible Information
Your Government, Your Information - A Quick Guide To Minnesota's Open-Government Laws
Open Government - Citizen Sunshine
Proposed Changes To Data Practices Shelved - More Could Have Been Kept From Public

Read the articles

Minnesota's data practices law - a look to the future

2009-10-11T20:34:00.004-05:00

COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - Event Photos
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Midtown Commons, 2324 University Ave West, St. Paul (just East of Raymond)
Women Venture meeting room
Free and convenient parking West of the Midtown Commons complex.

An open discussion of changing needs, many the result of technology. A chance to review the principles that undergird the state’s unique data practices law. Come prepared to share issues, experience, a vision of future challenges and practical suggestions for needed change.

Resource people, on hand to provide context and answer questions, include John R. Finnegan, Sr, Jane Kirtley, Kirsten Clark, Don Gemberling
& other members of the MnCOGI Board.

Learn more:

The Public's Business: More People Are Knocking at the Door - Let Them In, by Jane Kirtley, 3/15/2009*.

Our Open-Government Laws Need to be Stronger and Clearer, by Jane Kirtley, 6/5/2009*.

* Articles posted with permission of the author, Jane Kirtley, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.All COGI-tations are free and open to the public.

International Right To Know Day - September 28 2009

2009-09-28T16:28:00.017-05:00

The World Prepares for International Right To Know Day 2009. Check out the details at FreedomInfo.org.

Find out more at the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet).

MN COGI Wins Blog Award

2009-09-19T18:06:00.013-05:00

MN COGI wins spot on Top 100 Freedom of Information Blogs from The Daily Reviewer!

International Right to Know -- COGI-tations Presenter Notes

2009-09-19T17:14:00.023-05:00

September 10, 2009, COGI-tations Forum
The right to ask...the right to know
Notes.pdf from presenter, Barb Frey

2009-08-31T23:12:00.029-05:00

The right to ask...the right to know:
International Right to Know Day 2009
COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Featuring: Barbara A. Frey
Director of the Human Rights Program in the College of Liberal Arts University of Minnesota

Thursday, September 10, 2009
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Midtown Commons, 2324 University Ave West, St. Paul (just East of Raymond)
Women Venture meeting room

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.All COGI-tations are free and open to the public.

Background Information

Barbara A Frey is Director of the Human Rights Program in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. The Program, established in 2001, provides academic, research and internship opportunities for students in the field of international human rights.

Frey is well known as an international human rights teacher, advocate and scholar. She served from 2000-2003 as an alternate member of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, a body of independent experts who advise the United Nations on human rights policy. From 2002-2006 Frey served as Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission to conduct a study on the issue of preventing human rights abuses committed with small arms and light weapons. From 1985 through 1996 Frey was Executive Director of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. She is a co-convenor of the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, a network of 44 organizations working to promote research and advocacy on human rights issues.

Frey is the recipient of the 2008 Don and Arvonne Fraser Award from the Advocates for Human Rights. She received the 2008 Outstanding Faculty Community Service Award from the University of Minnesota. She received the first Iustitia et Lex award from the University of St. Thomas Law School in 2003. She was named the 2001 Myra Bradwell Award winner by Minnesota Women Lawyers for promoting the interests of women in the legal profession and in the community. She is the immediate past Chair of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations. Frey attended the University of Notre Dame (BA, 1978) and the University of Wisconsin Law School (JD, 1982). She worked as an associate lawyer at Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis from 1983-85.

***
International Right to Know Day is celebrated each year on September 28. Increasingly the issue of the right to know as a basic human right is on the public agenda. Come learn more about plans, gather materials, and explore ways in which Minnesotans can participate in the celebration.

New technology; the same laws apply

2009-08-03T10:55:00.002-05:00

An article in the August State News magazine focuses on social media in government, "The New Public Sphere." It includes a reminder section -- "Old Rules, New Media Open Records Laws Apply to Government Business, Regardless of Outlet."

Minnesota’s Government Data Practices Act: A Primer

2009-07-15T19:45:00.020-05:00

COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Minnesota’s Government Data Practices Act : A Primer
Hint: It’s Not as Complicated As You Think!

Presenter: Don Gemberling - “Godfather” of Minnesota data practices

Minnesota’s data practices law is based upon openness to information by and about state and local government. Advocacy groups, citizen journalists, concerned citizens, bloggers and all concerned about access to government activities need to know their rights. Elected and appointed officials need to understand their responsibility to assure access. Don Gemberling knows the law and can clarify it for those who may be intimidated, confused or overwhelmed by a straightforward law based in the assumption of transparency. Attendees are encouraged to bring their government information horror stories for analysis and feedback.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Midtown Commons, 2324 University Ave West, St. Paul
(just East of Raymond)
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits conference room, Suite 20

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by the
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.
All COGI-tations are free and open to the public.

Planning MnCOGI’s Transparency Inventory

2009-06-08T15:14:00.004-05:00

COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Planning MnCOGI’s Transparency Inventory moderated by Allan Malkis, Board member, Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Looking to hold a government agency accountable for the action it takes?
Discuss how to conduct an inventory of a state or local agency’s actions.

Thursday, June 25, 2009
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
East Lake Library
2727 Lake Street (near Hiawatha)
Minneapolis

* * * *

Future COGI-tations

August 5, 2009
Don Gemberling
Introduction to Minnesota’s Data Practices Act

Late August/Early September, 2009
International Right to Know Day

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by the
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information.
All COGI-tations are free and open to the public.

Missed the weekend? Catch the action!

2009-06-08T15:13:00.004-05:00

Extraordinary thanks are due to the staff of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and to our own transparency team at The Uptake for brilliant coverage of the NFOIC Summit held in Minneapolis this past weekend. The Summit concluded late Saturday. In nanoseconds the text summaries and videos were posted on the web.

Attached is a program for the conference that may help readers follow and link to the big picture. Following are the sessions summaries accompanied by great photos.

· NFOIC Summit: Civics education
· NFOIC Summit: Fiscal transparency
· NFOIC Summit: Texts, Lies and Video Tape
· Mitchell Pearlman honored at NFOIC Summit
· NFOIC Summit: Infrastructure coverage tips
· NFOIC Summit: FOI & Infrastructure
· Judge rules media have no more rights than general...
· NFOIC Summit: Technologies you should be using
· NFOIC Summit: Coalition Sustainability
· NFOIC Summit: Arizona FOI roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Delaware FOI roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Kentucky FOIA roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Missouri FOI roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Oklahoma FOI roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Wisconsin FOIA roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Florida FOIA roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Minnesota FOIA roundup
· NFOIC Summit: Public access values
· NFOIC Summit: Public access threats

For those with a preference for video, we offer The Uptake take on the Summit. The Uptake livestreamed the Summit, thus reaching the many “regulars” whose budget cuts prevented travel to the City of Lakes. As always, there are some video glitches, but the audio is clear throughout. Keep checking TheUptake, too – there’s much more to come!

Many thanks to the several journalists, professional and citizen, who captured the moment. As one who spent a good portion of the Summit keep abreast of activities outside the sessions, I am particularly grateful for the virtual experience. After a Sunday of reading, viewing and listening, I feel as if I actually participated in the group experience. MT.

Jane Kirtley on Open Government Laws

2009-06-07T19:51:00.003-05:00

With the NFOIC conference in town last week, Jane Kirtley penned an editorial on Freedom of Information and the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

Here's a flavor of the article (you can find the entire article online):

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act — Minnesota's version of the
Freedom of Information Act — is a lot like MSP airport. Thirty-odd years ago, in
those heady days after the Watergate scandal, when it seemed like everyone was
clamoring for greater oversight of government, Minnesota took its first stab at
drafting a simple statute that would guarantee public access to government data.
That law was about four pages long and easy for almost anyone to understand.
Government data was presumed to belong to the public.

But a lot has changed since then.

NFOIC Summit 2009 Update Memo

2009-06-03T10:59:00.002-05:00

TO: NFOIC Summit 2009 registrants
FROM: Mary Treacy, Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
RE: Welcome to NFOIC Summit 2009 participants

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information has the welcome mat rolled out – and some last minute news for those who will be participating in the National Freedom of Information Coalition Summit 2009. Please share the relevant information with colleagues who are unable to make the pilgrimage to our fair city. Last week we sent a note to attendees who will be coming to Minneapolis from around the country. This note is for all the attendees now registered. There is always room for more Summit participations – if you have a colleague who might be interested, encourage him or her to come on down or, in our case, up!

News from the Summit:

* To ensure that attendees and others are up to speed on the program. MnCOGI has been interviewing Summit speakers in advance of the Summit. The result is a series of podcasts posted on the MnCOGI website. Click “podcasts” on the home page to hear recorded interviews with some of the Summit speakers as well as podcast interview with Minnesota open government heroes.

* We were concerned about how to open the Summit to those whose travel budgets have hit hard times. After some exploration we have arranged to have the full Summit livestreamed. Our partner organization is The Uptake, the folks who streamed the Republican National Convention in August 2008 and who, more recently, have opened the doors to the hearings re. the Franken/Coleman senatorial election. Those who cannot be present may participate in the Summit from their laptop - and we will have a record of the proceedings.

* In another partnership with local media we have arranged for access advocates to participate in a pre-Summit radio discussion on Wednesday, June 3. Truth to Tell, hosted by activist Andy Driscoll and carried on local station KFAI, takes a lead in opening the doors to government. Again, the discussion is streamed on the web.

* We hope all Summit attendees plan to attend the social hour on Friday, June 5, 5-6 p.m. NFOIC has generously suggested that we invite friends and supporters to this event – we have and many are coming. It’s our chance to thank them publicly and for them to meet our colleagues both locally and from other state coalitions. These folks have sustained MnCOGI as we struggled to meet the requirements of the NFOIC incentive grant in these tough times!

* Denise Meyers at NFOIC has done a great job of ferreting out information about parking. Logistics are attached. Lots of construction downtown Minneapolis, too. Check the MnCOGI website for the most recent info – parking is convenient but be prepared.

* Those registered for the Summit should have received a “Welcome to Minneapolis” over Memorial Day weekend. It has recently come to me that the list I was using was not complete. The notes were all about the Twin Cities – public transit, skyways, the Mall and, above all, the Mighty Mississippi. If you didn’t get that e-letter, it’s posted on the MnCOGI website – or just let me know and I’ll send you a copy.

* We’ve posted on the MnCOGI site a map indicating the sites of state Centers. Would you please take a look at it and let us know if you’ve changed location, name or URL. We haven’t inserted the site links yet, but we will as soon as you okay the information. We’d like to have this ready for prime time at the Summit, so we would greatly appreciate your taking a few minutes now to check your center’s entry.
If you know of sites that have begun, closed shop or changed any of the variables, please let us know. I haven’t added the links yet, but sooner rather than later I will get to that.

We look forward to seeing you soon in Minneapolis. Remember to bring walking shows so you won’t miss the walkable sites of the city – the Mississippi, Nicollet Mall, the skyways, museums and so much more. Freedom of information favors a free spirit which assumes you get out and explore your environs.

Podcast with Mary Jo McGuire

2009-06-02T20:55:00.001-05:00

http://www.mncogi.org/podcasts/FOI_Summit_McGuire_podcast.mp3

Podcast with James Nobles

2009-06-02T17:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.mncogi.org/podcasts/FOI_Summit_Nobles_podcast.mp3

NFOIC Summit 2009 more details from May 29

2009-05-29T21:24:00.001-05:00

TO: NFOIC Summit 2009 registrants
FROM: Mary Treacy, Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
RE: One Week and Counting

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information has the welcome mat rolled out – and some last minute news for those who will be participating in the National Freedom of Information Coalition Summit 2009. Please share the relevant information with colleagues who are unable to make the pilgrimage to our fair city. Last week we sent a note to attendees who will be coming to Minneapolis from around the country. This note is for all the attendees now registered. There is always room for more Summit participations – if you have a colleague who might be interested, encourage him or her to come on down or, in our case, up!

News from the Summit:

* To ensure that attendees and others are up to speed on the program. MnCOGI has been interviewing Summit speakers in advance of the Summit. The result is a series of podcasts posted on the MnCOGI website. Click “podcasts” on the home page to hear recorded interviews with some of the Summit speakers as well as podcast interview with Minnesota open government heroes.

* We were concerned about how to open the Summit to those whose travel budgets have hit hard times. After some exploration we have arranged to have the full Summit livestreamed. Our partner organization is The Uptake, the folks who streamed the Republican National Convention in August 2008 and who, more recently, have opened the doors to the hearings re. the Franken/Coleman senatorial election. Those who cannot be present may participate in the Summit from their laptop - and we will have a record of the proceedings.

* In another partnership with local media we have arranged for access advocates to participate in a pre-Summit radio discussion on Wednesday, June 3. Truth to Tell, hosted by activist Andy Driscoll and carried on local station KFAI, takes a lead in opening the doors to government. Again, the discussion is streamed on the web.

* We hope all Summit attendees plan to attend the social hour on Friday, June 5, 5-6 p.m. NFOIC has generously suggested that we invite friends and supporters to this event – we have and many are coming. It’s our chance to thank them publicly and for them to meet our colleagues both locally and from other state coalitions. These folks have sustained MnCOGI as we struggled to meet the requirements of the NFOIC incentive grant in these tough times!

* Denise Meyers at NFOIC has done a great job of ferreting out information about parking. Logistics are attached. Lots of construction downtown Minneapolis, too. Check the MnCOGI website for the most recent info – parking is convenient but be prepared.

* Those registered for the Summit should have received a “Welcome to Minneapolis” over Memorial Day weekend. It has recently come to me that the list I was using was not complete. The notes were all about the Twin Cities – public transit, skyways, the Mall and, above all, the Mighty Mississippi. If you didn’t get that e-letter, it’s posted on the MnCOGI website – or just let me know and I’ll send you a copy.

We look forward to seeing you soon in Minneapolis. Remember to bring walking shows so you won’t miss the walkable sites of the city – the Mississippi, Nicollet Mall, the skyways, museums and so much more. Freedom of information favors a free spirit which assumes you get out and explore your environs.

NFOIC Summit 2009 participants notice May 22

2009-05-29T21:21:00.002-05:00

On behalf of the Board of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, welcome to Minnesota and Minneapolis! We thought the best way to welcome visitors is to fill you in on some of the arrival logistics. Once you get to the hotel you can walk to everything, so we want you to have a soft landing at the Marriott. Some tips:

* Absolutely for sure take the Light Rail Transit (LRT) from the airport. The stop is in the terminal, just keep following the signs down, down, down. Depending on the terminal, you may take a quick rail shuttle. It is so easy and so cheap: $2.25 during rush hours, $1.75 at all other times. The taxis are pricey and there’s road construction everywhere so please, take my advice and take the train.

* Get off at Nicollet Mall and 5th St. – this is the second to the last stop. There will be obvious stop postings and announcements. Take a left (southward) down Nicollet Mall. You will get off on 5th St. and walk to 7th St. When you get to 7th, turn right. The Marriott is on your right between Nicollet Mall and Hennepin. It’s a subtle entrance.

* Here’s where it gets strange. The lobby of the Marriott is on the 6th floor. The lower floors are commercial with the hotel perched above. Just take the well-marked elevator to the lobby and you’re home free. The rooms are actually in a separate tower. It feels weird at first blush, but it’s actually very smart use of urban space.

* If you’re meeting someone, meet in that lobby. It’s one big open space with a restaurant, a couple of bars and lots of conversation pits. Great networking space.

* We will have stacks of local tourist materials – maps, coupon books, visitor guides, etc on display somewhere obvious. A “local” will be on hand to answer questions or point you in the right direction. I hope you’ve found the local guide prepared by MnCOGI Board member Robbie LaFleur on the NFOIC website. Thanks to the American Planning Association’s conference here in April, here is a 4-page pdf of Eat Local in the Twin Cities: A Rough Guide.

* You’re on the Skyway System when you’re at the Marriott. Lots of Skyway construction but it will get you anywhere downtown – department stores, Target, restaurants, even a couple of churches. You can live for months without going beyond the Skyway!

* Still, do go outside and walk or ride to the Mississippi at some point. The beautiful Mississippi and historic Minneapolis are just a few blocks away. If you’re short of time, you can hop virtually any bus on the Mall (ask if they “cross the river”) For $.75 you can ride across one of the bridges, take a stroll along the river. With your transfer that you remembered to get while boarding, you can ride the bus back to the Marriott. The walk along the Mississippi is not to be missed.

If you have ANY questions, please drop me a note. We’re delighted you’re coming. We’re also proud of Minneapolis and Minnesota. BTW it’s been fairly cool, but the weather may be hot two weeks from now. Still, bring a light sweater or jacket. The evenings can still be cool – beautiful, but sometimes cool.

Best, Mary Treacy, Executive Director
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

David Gillette’s on data practices

2009-05-29T21:00:00.004-05:00

http://www.tpt.org/aatc/how_it_happens_data_practices

This is David Gillette’s Almanac cartoon – a fun way to learn about data practices in Minnesota.

Podcast with Charles Davis

2009-05-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

http://www.mncogi.org/podcasts/FOI_Summit_Davis_podcast.mp3

Podcast wtih Patrice McDermott

2009-05-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

http://www.mncogi.org/podcasts/FOI_Summit_McDermott_podcast.mp3

Podcast with James Shiffer

2009-05-24T13:02:00.004-05:00

http://www.mncogi.org/podcasts/FOI_Summit_Shiffer_podcast.mp3

Vendor Evaluation Reports Online

2009-05-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

Many times web access is a vast improvement over paper sitting on shelves - not only for sheer accessibility, but in terms of how the information can be used. The Department of Administration has just released one of those vast improvements to a report that was mandated by the Legislature several years ago. Minnesota Statutes 16C.08, subd. 4(c), requires that upon completion of a contract over $50,000, agencies submit a one-page report, summarizing the purpose of the contract, stating the amount spent on the contract, and including a written performance evaluation of the work done under the contract. Previously, those reports were available only in print, in the Library, in the binders shown in the image to the left. Now it is possible to learn of agencies' experiences with various vendors by searching online. Reports since March 1, 2009, have been posted, will be updated weekly, and can be searched by agency or vendor name. This is great progress.

Robbie LaFleur (originally published on the Legislative Reference Library website)

Freedom of Information Coalition Summit

2009-05-15T13:16:00.003-05:00

Freedom of Information Coalition Summit
June 5-6
Minneapolis Marriott City Center

Friday at noon, we begin the conference with a luncheon and the ever-popular FOI Salon, followed that afternoon by two panels on Coalition Sustainability.

Saturday, we'll have panels on FOI & Infrastructure, Financial Transparency, and FOI as Civic Education. At Saturday's luncheon, for our keynote address we're proud to present Paul Anger, vice president and editor of the Detroit Free Press.

For further information:
http://www.nfoic.org/2009-summit-schedule

** added update - students can now attend for free (if they forego lunch)

Wrong...not correct... A line-by-line review

2009-05-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

See the posting below for Don Gemberling's thoughts on the recently-released report, Accessing Government: How difficult is it? Comments on specific lines and sections can be found in this annotated copy. His comments are astute, even if his handwriting is sometimes cryptic!

Accessing Government: A copy with Don's Comments

Robbie LaFleur

"The Public's Right to Know"

2009-04-27T13:03:00.000-05:00

An editorial today in the Minnesota Daily (the student newspaper at the U of M) describes two data practices-related bills in play at the Legislature. It closes with "At a public university, the thirst for knowledge and information ought not to be squelched for lust of money. It is imperative that Minnesota lawmakers land on the side of transparency on both bills, which would dangerously close the channels of public information if passed." (More information on the "Tubby Smith" bill at the Star Tribune, "Legislators Debate Tubby Smith Act: Data vs Privacy.")

Midwest Democracy Network's Report Has Serious Problems

2009-04-01T18:28:00.003-05:00

The Midwest Democracy Center's recent report, Accessing Government: How difficult is it?, reflects what happens when you only look at a statute in trying to figure out what it does and particularly why it does what it does. Even with a statute based analysis, there are numerous mistakes in their description of what the statute says and does.

I also found it very strange that the authors spend quite a bit of time talking about the rules implementing the Data Practices Act. As the primary author of those rules, I take no great pleasure from that because the authors seem to believe that the rules were authored by the legislature. This is just one detailed example of why this report is bad and misleading.

The complexity of the Data Practices Act stems from three significant and primary legislative policy judgements.

First, the legislature decided that it would reserve to itself the authority to make all the decisions about whether data should or should not be public. It also decided those decision would be done in detail. This position on who classifies data was strongly urged on the legislature by the media community. People like John Finnegan, the former editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, were desperately trying to avoid having the courts make decisions based on a broad exemption system such as the federal FOIA.

Second, the legislature decided that our Act would also be a fair information practices and privacy statute. The latter being primarily a function of detailed decisions about what government data ought not be public. This adds a level of complexity to the DPA that is unlike other states and their foi statutes. However, it also gives to Minnesota citizens rights concerning access to data, limits on the data they provide to government and challenges to data that are not available in most other states in this country. For this reason, Minnesota has always received high rankings for the quality of its fair information practices protections.

Lastly, the legislature also retained to itself the authority to decide, at a detail level, issues of access to and dissemination of not public data. This adds to complexity because agencies and local governments must seek specific legislative enactments when they want to use and disseminate data.

In summary, when you strip out all of the detailed language in our DPA that deals with classifications of and use and dissemination of not public data, you are left with a statute that is not physically or conceptually any larger than most foi statutes. However, in other foi statutes, you must look to case law to see what the courts have said about detailed classifications of data as public or not public. On balance, when you add in the case law, you will find other states have the same level of complexity and physical size.

As Rich Neumeister, the 2008 Finnegan Award Winner, has said a number of times this past week, the Minnesota system is better because decisions about what should or should not be public have to be made in public and not behind the closed doors of a judge's chambers. This is the very result John Finnegan and the rest of the media were trying to attain in the 1970's.
However, there is a real problem with the process of the legislature making all decisions about closing data as that process currently operates. Simply put, there is little or no coverage of hearings by the media. At last week's, Senate Subcommittee hearing there were lots of interesting issues discussed and debated. However to the best of my knowledge there were NO reporters in the room.

Be very careful with this report. I am going through this report line by line to identify detailed errors. The report makes recommendations about possible reforms to the Data Practices Act that I either do not understand or that miss the point. They did correctly identify that enforcement of the DPA is a problem. Suffice it to say, there have been recommendations by at least three study groups that Minnesota should establish a state office or commission whose primary job would be to work on issues of compliance. And, by such an office, I do not mean the current version of IPAD which is coming primarily a fee for service consulting shop for state agencies and which no longer appears to have a citizen centric perspective on information issues. However, there has not, so far, been the will in legislature to create, and more importantly, to properly fund such an office.

Don Gemberling, Secretary, MNCOGI Board

Opening Doors: Finding the Keys to Open Government

2009-03-28T16:16:00.001-05:00

Check out OpenTheGovernment.org's webcast; it presents a great opportunity for the public to be involved in the crafting of this directive. During the webcast, individuals who are intimately involved in formulating the administration's policies and agendas will explain the initiative's goals, receive feedback from the audience, and let members of the public know how they can continue to participate in the discussion.

The debut of TAP MN

2009-03-28T16:10:00.004-05:00

Eagle-eyed Todd Kruse brings this to our attention. The Minnesota Management & Budget Office launched its long-awaited web site to track state spending: the Transparency and Accountability Project for Minnesota (TAP MN) . TAP MN can also be used to track Minnesota’s use of federal stimulus dollars. State agencies and the public can request spending reports by agency, fund, category or vendor. Look for updates often. It will be interesting to compare this to the federal version of this database, www.usaspending.gov/.

Helen Burke, MNCOGI Chair

Sunshine Week & Finnegan Award in the News

2009-03-25T14:34:00.002-05:00

Now that the week is over it’s fun to take a look at the coverage we got – and are getting:

Newspapers provide broadest access to government records - Jim Pumarlo wrote a nice article for the Minnesota Newspaper Association

Jim Neumeister was interviewed on Midday (Minnesota Public Radio)

Rich Neumeister, recipient of the 2009 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award, will be interviewed on this week’s Almanac: At the Capitol, with Mary Lahammer. Air times are Wednesday, March 25 at 10:00 p.m. and Thursday, March 26, at 4:00 a.m. on Channel 2. Channel 17 will air the program on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., Thursday at 2:00 a.m, 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.

Sunshine Week Recap

2009-03-22T20:20:00.001-05:00

Sunshine Week generated a number of events and lively exchanges, including some local disagreement about a national survey of state government information available online. That survey engendered a March 15 Star Tribune article by Liz Riggs of AP headlined “Survey:65 percent of Minnesota government records online.”

Not so fast, responds Charlie Quimby on the Growth & Justice blog. Quimby notes that the headline is misleading “since the sponsors certainly did not measure all types of records, and 100 percent of all records would hardly be a desirable goal.”

It’s an interesting exchange, emphasizing that, though accessible information is only one aspect of “developing a culture of fiscal discipline and accountability”, it’s an aspects worthy of public attention.

The Top Ten Most Wanted Government Documents

2009-03-22T16:02:00.001-05:00

The Center for Democracy and Technology recently released a report on the most wanted federal documents. Here’s a list of the Top Ten Most Wanted Government Documents from the report.

Public Access to All Congressional Research Service Reports
Information About the Use of TARP and Bailout Funds
Open and Accessible Federal Court Documents Through the PACER System
Current Contractor Projects
Court Settlements Involving Federal Agencies
Access to Comprehensive Information About Legislation and Congressional
Actions via THOMAS or Public Access to Legislative Information Service
Online Access to Electronic Campaign Disclosures
Daily Schedules of the President and Cabinet Officials
Personal Financial Disclosures from Policymakers Across Government
State Medicaid Plans and Waivers

Governing with Accountability

2009-03-22T15:44:00.001-05:00

Governing with Accountability, the report just issued by Growth & Justice, strikes a blow for accountability at the state government level. The report uses six principles to describe “a better way to define our expectations in these important areas and the need to hold leaders, managers and organizations accountable for delivering services and other valued public policy outcomes.” Find the full report online or contact Growth & Justice info@growthandjustice.org.

Report: Dim Sunshine Laws in Five Midwest States

2009-03-18T18:46:00.002-05:00

wanted to let you know about the report on open government laws that the Citizen Advocacy Center, a policy research partner of the Midwest Democracy Network, launched today in celebration of Sunshine Week. I thought you might find it of interest this week!

Relevant links:
http://www.citizenadvocacycenter.org/OGP.html
http://midwestdemocracynetwork.org/index.php/projects/article/midwest_open_government_project_2009/
http://midwestdemocracynetwork.org/index.php/news/article/midwest_open_government_project_launches_resonates/

PRNewswire Release:
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-18-2009/0004990576&EDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 18, 2009
Contact: Terry Pastika, Citizen Advocacy Center, 630-833-4080
Charlie Boesel, Joyce Foundation, 312-795-3816
Emily Blum, Valerie Denney Communications, 312-408-2580 ext. 13

New study finds five Midwestern states have dim sunshine laws
CHICAGO, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While every state in the nation has laws that require public access to government records and meetings, in five Midwestern states that were recently analyzed, documents are often kept secret and doors can remain tightly closed.
According to a study released Wednesday by the Citizen Advocacy Center (Center) in celebration of Sunshine Week (March 15-21), open government laws in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota have systemic barriers that chill public participation and access to government, which weakens our democratic system designed to be by, for and of the people.
The Center analyzed each state's Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Acts and found striking similarities between all states, including:

Open government laws are sporadically enforced, which means public bodies are more likely to be unresponsive to records requests and employ exemptions to keep meetings closed.
No state surveyed has a government office with statutory authority specifically created to oversee and enforce sunshine laws.
State employees are not adequately trained to carry out open government policies and may be unintentionally violating the laws.
Citizens may be able to attend meetings, but there are very few opportunities to participate.

"For our democracy to thrive and grow, we must have open government laws that are both strong and effective," said Terry Pastika, Executive Director and Community Lawyer for the Citizen Advocacy Center. "Without forceful sunshine laws, the public can not fully participate in the democratic process, knowledgably discuss issues of public concern, make informed judgments about the actions of elected officials, or monitor government to make sure it's acting in their interest."

For the study, the Center reviewed each state's laws as well as more than 1,000 legal cases, attorney general opinions, and professional publications to produce a comprehensive report on each state's strengths and weaknesses. The Center also provided specific reform recommendations that good government advocates can use to advance changes within each state. Reforms range from changing how fees should be levied to implementing training programs for public officials.

The study, conducted by the Center and funded by The Joyce Foundation, is distributed by the Midwest Democracy Network, an alliance of political reform advocates who are working to strengthen democracy and build the capacity of the public to participate and affect government decision-making.

To view the full report online, visit www.citizenadvocacycenter.org or www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org.

FOI Update from MPR

2009-03-18T18:36:00.003-05:00

Citizen lobbyist, Rich Neumeister , is awarded the 2009 John R. Finnegan award for open government. He is also interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio with Minneapolis Attorney and First Amendment specialist, Mark Anfinson.

You can listen to or read the program on the MRP web site.

Citizen Journalist's Guide to Open Government

2009-02-10T16:08:00.000-06:00

Check out this ambitious multimedia e-learning module designed to help new media makers understand how to obtain public records and get into public meetings. Produced by Geanne Rosenberg, founding chair of Baruch College's new undergraduate Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions (Knight Citizen News Center)

Creative Yard Signs

2008-07-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

Exercise your voting rights early this season! And have fun doing it. My Yard Our Message is a project sponsored by the Walker Art Center, MN Artists, and the UnConvention. And you get to vote and the medium and the message.

Scores of artists and designers were invited to submit yard signs around the theme of what it means to actively participate in a democracy. Their wildly creative proposals deal with information access, the cost of ignorance, get-out-the-vote messages, the war in Iran, tragedy in Darfur, the environment, and virtually every other concern facing voters in a democracy.

Here’s the offer you can’t refuse: You, your family and friends, check the FaceBook rendering of the artists’ proposals. And then you get to vote for the signs that you would be willing, nay eager, to post in your yard!

I spent almost an hour yesterday weighing the messages, the neighborhood, and my willingness to put the yard sign where my mouth is! Virtually every artist’s creation gave me pause and a keen sense that I’d like to talk about this with the neighbors!

The votes will tabulated (and the process monitored with due diligence….) The top fifty vote-getting designs will be announced August 1. They will then be made available to order as a full-sized political yard sign for $20. Top designs will also be available as free downloads. The frosting on the cake -- the Walker and MNArtists are going to print the winning yard signs and place them around the TC’s , with particular emphasis on neighborhoods immediately surrounding the habitués of the visiting RNConventioneers.

Cast your votes now (yes, you get to vote for more than one) by clicking here!

Play it again, NCMR

2008-07-06T21:37:00.001-05:00

In several conversations during the past few weeks I’ve heard people mention that they wish they’d been able to attend the June 6-8 National Media Reform Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Never mind the Strib reporter and Bill O’Reilly didn’t appreciate the opportunity - in fact, their negative take might have expanded the audience.

Take heart - all of the keynote and other major talks are streamed online. You’ll see and hear Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, author Amy Goodman, political analyst Bill Moyers and a host of other speakers on the NCMR website. There’s also an audio file, transcripts, photos of participants and speakers, and an expanding collection of follow-up reports and developments.

Access sine qua non

2008-07-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

The lynchpin of access to government information rests in the hands of every voter. Still not everyone votes, and not everyone knows how to get access to the voting systems. There’s lots of get out the vote information, of course, much of it sponsored by organizations that would like to advise you on how to vote.

Two national groups rise above partisan ship to provide the public with easy-to-use and understand guides to the election process, including information about the rights of voters, the process, local rules and regs. I thought I was tuned in because I know I’m registered and I can find my polling site -- but I just spent two hours plumbing the depths of these resources. There’s an amazing amount of information here, carefully aggregated and analyzed by trusted national organizations.

The League of Women Voters has a great guide in the June 2008 issue of The National Voter. It’s replete with information on where to look for voter registration information, polling places, guides to PSA’s, involved organizations, and links to scores of resources.

OpenTheGovernment has also gathered a ton of information about the complexities of voting in its Election Resource Center., everything from a discussion of “caging” to how to challenge an election.

Minnesota has a history of poll site registration and other open policies. Still, not everyone who can be is “in the loop.” These two nonprofit organizations, and others, have done the research to ease access to the system. Before you post that get-out-to-vote sign in your front yard you might want to know where to send would-be voters for the facts. You don’t have to know the answers, just know where to look.

Mourning Coalition of Journalists for Open Government

2008-07-04T11:34:00.002-05:00

As readers in cities around the nation lament the cuts to their local newspaper, their primary source of accurate information and reflection, I am mourning the demise of a related organization, the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government. I got to know the CJOG through Sunshine Week activities, a project in which CJOG was a major force. The Coalition also provided a forum for collaboration and communication among the many journalism organizations that stand up for open government, particularly at the federal level.

The work of the CJOG will be picked up by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, headed by Minnesotan Lucy Dalglish, and by the National Freedom of Information Coalition; Sunshine in Government will also continue to post information on federal open government issues. These are good, reliable -- but very busy -- hands in which to leave an important function.

Needless to say, the reason for closing the virtual doors at CJOG is money. Long ago I learned that people/organizations will pay for goods first, then services, and almost never collaboration. There’s no tangible, visible product, just the payoff of shared responsibility, division of labor, and the powerful impact of collective wisdom. Sometimes those benefits get in the way of other agendas, e.g. obfuscation of facts and empire building.

Thanks to Peter Weitzel for his efforts on behalf of open government and for his continued involvement at the federal level.

National Media Reform Conference Distilled

2008-06-29T20:34:00.001-05:00

The intensity of the National Media Reform Conference held recently in Minneapolis was overwhelming. It’s taken me days to unravel and process the themes of the conference and its countless pre- and post- sessions. The one mainstream media report on the conference, buried in the back pages of the Star Tribune, did the conference a disservice. I can only conclude that Neil Justin and I just attended different sessions, or maybe different conferences.

The sessions in which I participated and the excellent exhibitor representatives, provided context and content to a real movement. This is a surge of energy that has been simmering for decades.

Bill Moyers’ keynote absorbed - and deserved - much of the media attention and garnered scores of ovations. And then there was the terrific exhibit of books sponsored by BirchBark Books, a local independent. The exhibit, offering an impressive selection of related titles, was doing a brisk business every time I ventured past.

One particular observation I have is that participants ranged from teens to people who have been fighting the good right even longer than I have. The session with George Stoney, the “father of public access”, and visionary FCC Commissioner Nicolas Johnson, both from the past century, well documented that fact.

In spite of the information overload I’m proud to have been a participant at this juncture of the media reform movement. Most of all, I’m proud that once again Minnesota played host to a conference devoted to openness, freedom of information, and an informed public.

Same time next year, Minnesota hosts the annual conference of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Peter S. Popovich Award

2008-06-29T11:17:00.004-05:00

We want to say congrats to the Peter S. Popovich Award winners this year - especially to our own Robbie LaFleur.

Mary Flister, who has been recording Maplewood city meetings and making them available to the community, despite rebukes from to stop, and Robbie LaFleur, director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, who has been an unyielding advocate of information accessibility for the general public, both received the Peter S. Popovich Award.

Peter S. Popovich Award is awarded by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists.

Missing Harlan Cleveland

2008-06-07T03:53:00.000-05:00

It’s a sad and sobering irony to reflect on the recent death of Harlan Cleveland mist the energy and hope that reign at the Media Reform Conference going full steam this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. For decades Harlan Cleveland has been my guiding star in a turbulent information era.

Twenty-five years ago I was involved with a conference bearing the irresistible title “A Question of Balance: Public Sector, Private Sector Interaction in the Delivery of Information Services. The conference was a typically Minnesotan response to a report from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science -- from whence we derived the catchy subtle. With prescient naiveté we gathered journalists, media moguls, access advocates and gangs of librarians for two days of weighing the issues raised in the report, a report that one speaker accurately described as “pernicious.”

[The gathering was not without its lively moments - most notably the spectacle of Paul Zurkowski, head of the Information Industry Association, storming down the aisle, pointing his cane as he snarled “Poppycock! at the elegant visionary Anita Schiller.]

The keynote speaker at that event - and my all-time Information Hero - was Harlan Cleveland. He spoke, as he frequently wrote, about the characteristics of information “as a resource, “the basic, yet abstract information.” Cleveland lamented that “we have carried over into our thinking about information (which is to say symbols) concepts development for the management of things - concepts such as property, depletion, depreciation, monopoly, market economics, the class struggle, and top-down leadership.” It might help, he opined, “if we stop treating information as just another thing, and look hard at what makes it so special.”

In Cleveland’s 21st Century construct, information as a resource possesses these unique characteristics:

Information is expandable - “The facts are never all in - and facts are available in such profusion that uncertainty becomes the most important planning factor.” Thus, “the further a society moves toward making its living from the manipulation of information, the more its citizens will be caught up in a continual struggle to reduce the information overload on their desks and in the lives in order to reduce the uncertainty about what to do.”

Information is compressible -- “Though it’s infinitely expandable, information can be concentrated, integrated, summarized... for easy handling.”

Information is substitutable -- It can replace capital, labor or physical materials.

Information is transportable -- “In less than a century, we have been witness to a major dimensional change in both the speed and volume of human activity.”

Information is diffusive -- It tends to leak - and the more it leaks the more we have.

Information is shareable -- Information by nature cannot give rise to exchange transactions, only to sharing transactions. Things are exchanged. “If I give you a fact or tell you a story, it’s like a good kiss: in sharing the thrill, you enhance it.”

Cleveland would relish the exuberant exchanges echoing through the Minneapolis Convention Center this weekend -- snippets of conversations involving 3000 reform advocates talking about knowledge, wisdom, informed citizens and their role in a democracy, transparency in government, media ownership, network neutrality. Many of these attendees may not know the name Harland Cleveland, but they understand - intuitively and empirically -- that information is a resource that is expandable, compressible, substitutable, transportable, diffusive and, most important, shareable -- like a kiss!

Note: One of the earliest iterations of Cleveland’s thoughts on information as a resource is found in the December 1982 issue of The Futurist. Check the site for much more about Harlan Cleveland’s life as well as numerous articles written by Cleveland through the years.

.

Live From Main Street

2008-06-03T12:26:00.001-05:00

Whether or not folks are immediately involved with the Media Reform conference, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. This interactive town hall event will be distributed by an unprecedented collaboration of independent media including LinkTV, Free Speech TV, The National Radio Project and many more.

The first 150 guests to arrive will receive a free copy of Amy Goodman’s Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times courtesy of Progressive Book Club!
Free and Open! Doors open at 1 p.m.

Women’s Club of Minneapolis 410 Oak Grove Street, near Loring Park
Details including RSVP.

MnCOGI hosts the National Freedom of Information Coalition 2009!

2008-06-02T03:40:00.002-05:00

The Board of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is pleased to announce that we have been invited to play host to the 2009 national conference of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. This coalition of coalitions brings together a unique network of advocates committed to transparency in government and freedom of expression.

Each state projects a unique profile of membership, priorities and services, ranging from major organizations with large staffs and massive budgets to fledgling coalitions such as MnCOGI. Many are supported by mainstream media organizations, others by media attorneys, still others by foundations and individual/organizational memberships. All sponsor websites, most post blogs and each employs unique and creative strategies to address the common purpose of open government. Headquarters of the national coalition of coalitions is at the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

We look forward to this opportunity to define and articulate the mission of MnCOGI, to learn from other coalitions and to involve Minnesotans as speakers, panelists and attendees.

NFOIC members will be meeting in Minneapolis at the end of May or early June 2009. Any individual or organization interested in open government and First Amendment issues can get involved NOW. Specifics about the conference program and logistics will appear on this blog as they unfold.

For details of past NFOIC conferences check here. Good stuff!

ROBBIE LaFLEUR RECEIVES PETER S. POPOVICH AWARD

2008-05-30T08:43:00.001-05:00

Robbie LaFleur, Director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, has been named recipient of the 2008 Peter S. Popovich Award. The Popovich Award is given each year by the Minnesota Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to “the person or organization that exemplifies the fight for First Amendment Rights.” SPJ will present the award at the 2008 Page One Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 12, at the Town & Country Club in St. Paul.
The award was named for the late Peter S. Popovich, a champion of open government during his years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, as the chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals and as the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
In nominating LaFleur the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information noted that, “for nearly a decade Robbie has been Director of the Legislative Reference Library, the special library that serves members and staff of the Minnesota State Legislature. Though her primary clientele is the Legislature, Robbie has distinguished herself by always bearing in mind and addressing the needs of the public, including investigative journalists who are steady customers at the LRL.”

Nominators noted the immense technological changes that have occurred during LaFleur’s tenure. To address those changes “Robbie has participated in countless significant task forces and committees dealing with state information policy…Thus, the impact of her leadership extends far beyond the LRL and the Legislature.”

LaFleur and staff of the LRL have been honored with numerous awards and citations for excellence in the provision of access to government information.

For additional information contact:
Mary Treacy mtreacy@onvoymail.com
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information www.mncogi.org
612 781 4234

Minnesota Monitor – NKOTB

2008-05-28T09:22:00.000-05:00

James Sanna’s great piece about Minnesota Monitor (The New(ish) Kid on the Block 5-26-08) is making its way through the media maze -- and with good reason. Sanna describes the origins, mission and staff of MM with clarity. He goes on to analyze the context, including MM’s “sibling” enterprises linked through the Center for Independent Media network of news websites.

It’s a good story and a great introduction to the forthcoming National Conference on Media Reform, sponsored by Free Press and coming to Minneapolis June 6-8. “Key issues include net neutrality, media consolidation, the future of the internet and the quality of journalism.”

A Couple of Great Blogs

2008-05-27T04:21:00.002-05:00

No longer is it a question of getting home in time for a favorite TV show - there’s little to watch and, if it’s really good, it’ll be on YouTube. Of late, though, I’ve found myself wanting to be near the computer mid-day, anticipating two of my favorite “you’ve got mail” beeps.

One is MinnPost, always loaded with the day’s news and views. The other is the beep from State Sunshine and Open Records, a product of the Lucy Burns Institute, a Madison, Wisconsin nonprofit dedicated to sharing information, guidance, practical advice, legal developments and news about open records at the state and local level. The voice is that of Leslie Graves.
This blog is fresh, full of snippets, tidbits, tips, foi-ish gossip, and fun! Take, for example, the Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week award. Or consider a recent blog devoted to the access challenges at the school system level. Or check out this best use of FOIA entry. It’ll give you the flavor.
Signing up for the email version will give you that healthy mid-day boost of energy to press on, knowing that the good fight is not without good people, good information and good humor.

Bill Moyers' Journal

2008-05-26T04:20:00.001-05:00

The trail of information - from creation through processing through application -- is always a path forged by real people, people who do the research, who organize the results, who select and review, who dig and piece together and create then share information that - finally - makes a difference.

Bill Moyers most recent Journal, aired last Friday, offers one of the best articulations of that process I have ever seen. The topic the chemical Bisphenol A, but it’s the process that captivated my attention.

Stars of the show are a trio of investigative journalists on the staff of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Prodded by an appropriately pushy editor they set out to track the story of Bisphenol A. Their laborious investigation involves federal government deadends, hours in the stacks of the University of Wisconsin library and the keen analytic minds of concerned journalists.

The interim result is a remarkable series on “Chemical Fallout” that exposes the facts. On May 20, 2008 a reform bill was introduced - in spite of government blockage and the compromise of corporate and professional organizations along the way.

The reporting team who broke the story are taking viewer questions about the story and their work as investigative reporters on The Moyers Blog. Check out the video and the text on the Bill Moyers Journal. This is just how it’s supposed to work!

COGI-tations - Patrice McDermott on June 9

2008-05-19T15:31:00.002-05:00

COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Patrice McDermott
Director, Open the Government

Monday, June 9, 2008 time: 5-7 p.m.

100 Murphy Hall, SJMC Conference Center
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
206 Church Street, Minneapolis
University of Minnesota East Bank Campus
( Parking in the Washington Ave or East River Road Ramp or try MTC! )

Since 2006 Patrice McDermott has been Director of Open the Government, one of Washington DC’s most effective advocacy organizations committed to transparency in government and an informed public. Previously Dr. McDermott served as Deputy Director of the Office of Government Relations at the American Library Association Washington Office and as the senior information policy analyst for OMB Watch.

Patrice earned her doctorate in political science from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science in Library and Information Management from Emory University. She is the author of several books including Who Needs to Know? The State of Public Access to Federal Government Information. Dr. McDermott is also a member of the prestigious National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame.

Sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
Minnesota Journalism Center
Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law
Institute for New Media Studies
University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Free and Open to the Public Information: mncogi@gmail.com

What’s the holdup for Minnesota’s database?

2008-05-17T01:35:00.002-05:00

Todd Kruse’s crusade to have the sun shine in on Minnesota state government spending got some ink in a 5/16 Star Tribune editorial, “A blogger’s quest: Where’s the database?” Kruse seeks to have the Minnesota Department of Administration fully implement last year’s State Government and Omnibus Act. To comply with the 2007 Act, the state needs to create a database to track spending on contracts and grants.

Kruse is not alone in his quest. The National Taxpayer’s Union is one of several groups tracking similar developments on the state level on its site, www.showmethespending.com. Good for Todd Kruse and the National Taxpayer’s Union for their diligence in pursuing transparency in government.

What’s the holdup for Minnesota’s database? It’s not lack of software; it’s readily available. The Minnesota Department of Administration estimates the cost at $1 to $1.5 million, and cites lack of dedicated funding. The cost of such a database is not as high as the Department antidicpates. The federal government implemented software that tracked spending for ~$200K last year – a fraction of the state’s estimate.

Here’s the evolution of the database tracking software. In 2006, OMB Watch devised fedspending.org. In 2007, the federal government found it to be so compelling that it adopted it as its own. And so, usaspending.gov was born. The same software the feds use is – and has been – available to Minnesota. The mandate from the legislature is almost a year old. Only the data appears to be lacking. Could 2008 be the year MN gets its database to track its own spending?

Helen Burke, hburke@hclib.org

MN COGI on Minnpost

2008-04-25T10:03:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week a post on this MnCOGI blog responded to a thoughtful post in Minnpost written by a unique team that included Marcia Avner, public policy director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Brian Rusche, executive director of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, Dane Smith president of the Growth & Justice think tank; and Ray Waldron, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

Theirs was an impassioned rejection of the proverbial slash and burn “no new taxes” fallacy and a call for people of good will to get a grip on the public good. Mine was a reminder that those people depend on a transparent government and access to timely, accurate, reliable information by and about their government -- from the feds down to the local township and school system. Thanks to Susan Albright, MinnPost published that response today.

The good news -- a virtual sheaf of emails this afternoon affirms that lots of Minnesotans and MinnPost readers depend on and care deeply about the issue.

The goal of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MnCOGI) is to shed light on the reality that a solid base of information is the absolute sine qua non of a democracy. The pillars that support that base are threatened by a host of forces -- the arrogance of government behind closed doors, concentration of media, instant dissemination of misinformation, classroom focus on testing over critical thinking skills. Add your bete noir to the Litany of Threats..

Hope lies in collaboration among those who shape the conversations and the decision-making mores of the public -- teachers, journalists, bloggers, politicians, librarians, researchers, lawyers, religious leaders, these and countless other people of good will who seek the truth, speak the truth, and help others to understand and ultimately shape a decent, caring, informed, even wise electorate that lessens fear and embraces freedom.

Minnesota needs to invest in and nourish the common good

2008-04-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

Today’s MinnPost (4-22-08) carries a noteworthy commentary by a quartet of community leaders who, with a common voice, remind us that Minnesotans and our leaders “need to invest smartly in education, job training, transportation and human capital. To do this we need to think again, as the generation before us did, as well-rounded citizens willing to invest in and nourish the common good.

The vocal foursome includes Marcia Avner, public policy director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Brian Rusche, executive director of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, Dane Smith president of the Growth & Justice think tank; and Ray Waldron, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. When these folks speak in unison, it behooves one to listen.

What is implicit in their comments is a base of common knowledge shared by those “well-rounded citizens willing to invest in and nourish the common good.”

In this information age that base of common knowledge is at terrible risk. Today Rupert Murdock picked up another NYC newspaper while his managing editor tendered his resignation at the WSJ. Today the mainstream print media in the Twin Cities languish as owners sacrifice journalistic standards to stockholders’ fiscal demands. Today our community’s professional journalists work in tandem with citizen journalists to cover, interpret, and share with a changing public a range of news and views and understandings of a world - and neighborhoods - in flux. Today those outside the digital loop resort to the only sources of information they can afford - a mix of radio and TV owned and ruled by a dwindling circle who know only too well the power of information.

The life-giving force of this community of well-rounded citizens committed to the common good is the free flow of reliable, timely, relevant information -- cogent analysis of the decision-making process, accurate data on the impact of public policy and the living conditions of Minnesotans, serious research on the goods and products that build a robust economy, a communal eye on the flow of power and money and influence.

Minnesotans care about transparency in government, access to information and the threats. The commitment to understand and nourish the common good demands individual and collective time and mental energy. These four leaders remind us of another essential nutrient of the common good: “As citizens, we need to make room for elected leaders to do what many of them know to be right for Minnesota.”

Information blossoms as knowledge and ideas that exist to be shared and invested. Something to ponder as we celebrate statehood and honor our heritage of “well rounded Minnesotans willing to invest in and nourish the common good”.

Nothing to read in Cuba, Part Two

2008-04-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

(Note: I didn't realize this essay would require posting in two parts - read the post below first! Robbie LaFleur)

Poverty in Cuba is crushing. The infrastructure of Havana and the small towns through which we traveled was in depressingly disastrous shape. We visited a group of elderly people in a ‘home church’ in Havana. They can’t afford the modest bus fare to get to the Cathedral. They support one another spiritually and in other ways. Our group was moved by these parishioners and wanted to make a donation. When asked about their greatest needs, they said basic pain killers, like Ibuprofen. Remarkably, they could not tell us what a large bottle would cost. The pills are so expensive that no one buys more than a few at a time.

I have the highest respect, admiration and love for the people I met in Cuba. Their warmth and hospitality humbled us each day. And I respect the Cuban government’s long-term dedication to health care and literacy. But lack of freedom of movement and lack of access to information are other forms of poverty, and create a situation that makes people guarded and cautious. The harshest government criticism I ever heard was the often-repeated phrase, “These are hard times for Cuba.” (Compare that to Minnesota bloggers talking about the Legislature!)

As a librarian for the Legislature, I spend a great deal of time promoting government transparency. Legislative staff members from many offices work tirelessly to find more ways to get legislative information online and to reach citizens. As a board member of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, I work with a group devoted to citizen access to information. We present an annual “Freedom of Information” award. Through the lens of my experience, I was amazed at information isolation of Cubans.

So I commend the Minnesota House of Representatives. Trade and open borders are incredibly important in helping the people of Cuba. Why should Cuba be singled out for onerous trade restrictions? When a Cuban bishop visited the Twin Cities last fall he asked, “What about human rights issues in China?” Rep. Heidgerken echoed that sentiment on the floor of the House, noting “I have a bigger issue with China than Cuba.”

Significantly freer trade could not help but improve access to information for Cubans. Think of the amount of personal business we now do via the Web. How long can the Cuban government continue to restrict Web access and also offer increased business opportunities?

Some recent articles on Cuba are optimistic in tone. The March 3 issue of Business Week featured “After the Smoke Clears,” predicting economic growth potential in spite of current difficult conditions for Cubans. I hope that’s true! On the other hand, current government repression of opposition groups is detailed in the May, 2008, issue of Harper’s, “The Battle of Ideas: Searching for the Opposition in Post-Fidel Cuba.”

So thanks to all the Minnesota legislators who support greater trade between Minnesota and Cuba. Rep. Kahn said that by passing the resolution, Minnesota is sending the message that it wants to open up “economic, intellectual and social” communications with Cuba. But in addition to farm products, I hope that when travel opens up that we can send LOTS of Minnesotans with plasterboard and paint!

Robbie LaFleur (rlafleur@lrl.leg.mn)

Nothing to read in Cuba, Part One

2008-04-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

It was heartening to see the passage of the resolution supporting trade in Cuba in the Minnesota House of Representatives on April 17, 86-9. (More information from MPR and the House of Representatives Session Daily) Several members have visited Cuba. Rep. Phyllis Kahn, author of the resolution, is a tireless advocate for more open trade. Rep. Erhardt visited five years ago. Representatives Magnus and Juhnke visited just this month with a trade delegation from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Their personal experiences strengthened their resolve to improve trade with Cuba – to do what we can to help Cubans.

I visited Cuba for ten days in January with a group from St. Mark’s Cathedral, sent to strengthen relationships with Cubans generally, and in particular, the Episcopalian Diocese. The trip was definitely life-changing. I went with a very open mind – after all, isn’t health care available to all? Isn’t there an extremely high level of literacy? I came back with a degree of anger I had not anticipated. Does it matter if there is a high level of literacy if there is nothing to read? Perhaps librarians are used to a high level of information saturation, but don’t we all enjoy access to hundreds of newspapers and websites online? Americans drown in books and magazines. Cubans do not. Before we left for Cuba, our group members stocked up on useful items to give as gifts – shampoo, soap, aspirin, etc. Only one person, Ellen, chose the category of Spanish-language reading materials; she brought a Spanish language women’s magazine. After checking out the clothes and make-up tips in Siempre Mujer over Cuban rum one evening, we left it in the dorm lounge area in the cathedral where we were staying. There were no other reading materials around. Later, after midnight, I walked through the lounge area and found the Dean of the cathedral sitting by a reading lamp, engrossed in the magazine. The next morning the church cleaning woman was poring over the magazine. Later she found Ellen and hugged her warmly. “Gracias! I love you.”

Does it matter if there is a high level of literacy if access to information is cruelly restricted? Web access is not allowed. Even clergy in Havana have to go to a tourist hotel and purchase Internet time to search the Web. I believe it was $4.00 for a few minutes. Keep in mind that average salaries are around $20/month. We stayed with a family in a small village in the countryside. The eldest daughter was beginning her college at a regional university, where she planned to become a lawyer and was studying human rights. Is it possible get a well-rounded legal education without unfettered access to the Web?

E-mail is allowed, but perhaps not trusted. After Raul Castro gained more power recently a friend sent the text of relevant New York Times and Los Angeles Times articles to a Cuban colleague. His response was pretty immediate, but guarded. “Are you doing well? How is your family? ”

The Journalism That Matters MInnesota Gathering

2008-04-18T07:40:00.001-05:00

Here's another great 21st century journalism conference coming to Minnesota on June 4-6. Here's a quick blurb from their flyer and a link for more info

One of the first national gatherings for local, online citizen journalists and entrepreneurs,
sometimes called "placebloggers." Designed for existing and prospective journalists and entrepreneurs. Learn more...

Mark Glaser on Net Neutrality

2008-04-18T04:38:00.001-05:00

Some of us have possibly put our brains in neutral to avoid information overflow on the topic of Net Neutrality. I found the recent post by Mark Glaser in Free Press to be extremely helpful as a digest and succinct interpretation of the complex issues surrounding this polarizing issue. The author includes a basic list of resources for keeping abreast of the topic. Check it out.

Links from Sunshine State

2008-04-17T04:26:00.000-05:00

State Sunshine and Open Records did a great job gathering links this week and we just wanted to share them: Tuesday links round-up.

Media Reform conference set for Minneapolis June 6-8

2008-04-17T04:16:00.001-05:00

The Media Reform conference set for Minneapolis June 6-8 is great in and of itself. Even more, it is the catalyst for a number of related gatherings, including a presentation by Patrice McDermott of Open the Government sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition on Government. Details on that TBA

Meantime, I’ve just learned of another really interesting pre-conference, aimed at the “New Pamphleteers” identified as Entrepreneurs Who Combine Journalism, Democracy, Place and Blogs” The conference, open to citizen journalists and those who care about informed citizen journalism, will be June 4-6 at the U of M Journalism Center. Planners have arranged a very attractive package deal for anyone registering for the pre-conference and the Media Reform conference itself. Details and registration

Our First COGI-tation

2008-04-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

The other night we had the first of our “COGI-tations” presentations. We are off to a great start. Legislative Auditor James Nobles spoke -- he spoke with authority, clarity of purpose and commitment to the people of Minnesota. It was the most informative and refreshing presentation I have heard in a very long time.

The work of the Legislative Auditor is non-partisan and essential to good government. His work involves fiscal auditing as well as inspection and evaluation of state government in its many manifestations. For the first time ever I understand now that the elected state auditor audits local government while the legislative auditor is responsible to but not for the Legislature. His purview is state government agencies, commissions and all those instrumentalities that operate with state funds -- everything from charter schools to nonprofits that operate with state funds.

Nobles offered on the one hand an articulate intro to state government organization and processes. More than this, his commitment to the highest quality public service and the importance of good government was both refreshing and inspiring. For the moment at least, I have renewed faith in the democracy at work.

Our first COGI-tation, co-sponsored by Common Cause Minnesota, set a high standard I hope we can uphold.

Notes on the Newseum

2008-04-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

Not that I was invited or anything but I’m still celebrating vicariously the opening of the spectacular Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue in Our Nation’s Capital. It’s a fitting testimonial to our assumed commitment to the First Amendment as a fundamental upon which all else rests. I know the real estate cost a lot, but it’s a small price to pay if the suits actually peer out of their limos and think for even one split second about the principle.

The Newseum reminds us of the essential role of investigative journalism, a free press and transparency in government - and it does so from a vantage point smack between the White House and the Capitol with a first-hand view of a string of bureaucracies.

Print and electronic media - the traditional mainstream - are in chaos. And we the people know what we’re missing. Some 10,000+ of us showed up to visit the Museum on Day One. Read all about it in today’s Washington Post. Or you might want to know who WAS invited…

Minnesota News Council

2008-04-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

A chance to learn makes a good day - and that was my day today. Recently I was named to the Minnesota News Council and today was orientation, a real learning experience for this “public” member of this 24 member advisory group, a newspaper reader among journalists, listening in on the conversation of professionals at their best.

The Minnesota News Council, created in 1970, is a nonprofit organization supported entirely by voluntary contributions from media organizations, businesses and individuals. The purposes of the MNC are to present complaints about accuracy and fairness to news organizations, to hold public hearings re. unresolved complaints, and to conduct public forums to foster trust in journalism.

Our orientation involved a mock hearing. The scenario offered this newbie a chance to see the group process at work and to listen in on the keen questions and observations of my new colleagues.

I need to learn more about news councils in other states. I know Minnesota’s is the oldest, but that’s about all I know now. I learned it’s modeled on a British prototype. In a litigious environment, when everyone waits to hear the “verdict”, it’s a unique forum for open dialogue sans finger pointing and financial settlements.

I find myself mulling it over in my mind -- the process, the perspectives, the purpose of the Minnesota News Council. A first blush, it seems to me an altogether intelligent and constructive venue for giving the people a voice and the press a chance to engage in honest dialogue with their subjects and their readers. I’m eager to learn more and, in time, to plunk my own oar in the deliberative waters.

Cogi-tations Meeting with Jim Nobles

2008-04-09T16:53:00.000-05:00

Last night (April 8) Jim Nobles spoke about his work as the Minnesota Legislative Auditor. His conversation with our group was thoughtful and inspiring. He talked about the mission of the office as good government. In a democracy elections are important, but good government also requires effective mechanisms in place, which includes an oversight office like the OLA. He felt privileged, "It's rare to be free of the pull of partisan politics and find objective facts." Their mission is to strengthen government accountability.

When asked how he ensures that the reports and writing of the staff are objective and free of bias, he mentioned two points. One way to defeat bias is with an absolute commitment to
accuracy. He also has many people review all the reports, and even his half-page memos.

He talked about a point he wants to make to policymakers who are committed to cutting budgets and making government smaller. Even if large cuts are made, "At the end of the day, Minnesota government will still be really big, really complicated, and really important."
Like it or not, government delivers important functions, and they are complex processes, as complex as the systems in large corporations. It is the role of legislators to keep pressure on government to work well, and to expect high performance of agencies.

Robbie LaFleur

Keynote Address: “The Light at the End of the Tunnel: the Outlook for FOI.”

2008-04-08T18:33:00.003-05:00

Keynote Address: “The Light at the End of the Tunnel: the Outlook for FOI.”
Presented by Jane E. Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota.

Delivered at the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information “Freedom of Information Day & Award Ceremony,” March 14, 2008, Minneapolis Central Library.

With higher temperatures and March sunshine, it really seems like our long Minnesota winter is coming to a close. This brings us a sense of optimism, and hope.

And it’s a metaphor for the future of freedom of information. I believe it is no coincidence that James Madison, drafter of the First Amendment, was born on March 16.

This year, for the first time in a long time, there seems to be a real prospect that transparency in government could be restored.

On the last day of 2007, President Bush signed the OPEN Government Act, making important procedural changes to strengthen the effectiveness of the Federal Freedom of Information Act. There are new penalties for agencies that drag their feet in replying to requests for records – or to put it in a more positive way, new incentives to encourage agencies to comply with the law in a timely fashion.

There is enhanced Congressional oversight – an essential to the proper functioning of FOIA, no matter who is in the White House and no matter which party is in the majority – because when the legislature fails to keep an eye on the executive branch, Freedom of Information is always at risk.

There is a new definition of “representative of the news media” – which is important, not because the press does or should have greater rights of access to government records than the rest of us, but because Congress recognizes that those who gather information in order to disseminate it to the widest possible audience deserve to receive fee breaks to make it possible for them to do so.

There are even new “public liaisons” for each agency, and a new FOI ombudsman to run interference between requesters and the government.

The bi-partisan team of Sen. Patrick Leahy and John Cornyn have joined forces again to introduce a new bill that will require members of Congress who introduce proposed legislation to create new exemptions to FOIA to “explicitly and clearly” state just that – in other words, to put a stop to the practice of burying stealth exemptions in complex bills.

These are all exciting and encouraging developments.

But let’s not kid ourselves. Eight years of government secrecy is not going to go away overnight. The rallying cry of 9/11 was the pretext for policies amounting to an information blackout on an unprecedented scale: secret intelligence, secret prisons, secret torture, secret trials, and secret surveillance – all in the name of protecting national security.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: secrecy does not equal security. In fact, it almost invariably undermines it.

We know that the current administration in Washington is hostile to the very idea of the public’s right to know. It is ironic that, less than a month after signing the OPEN Government Act, President Bush directed that the funding for that FOI ombudsman should be shifted from the independent National Archives and into the Department of Justice – a Department that, at least since October 2001, has demonstrated over and over again its contempt for open government and the public’s right to know.

This is the same Department that, instead of enforcing the FOIA, has zealously pursued leakers – people who have chosen to circumvent restrictive policies to make information to the public – and threatened those who receive leaks with prosecution under the Espionage laws.
This is the same Department that has condoned using sweeping subpoenas to try to force journalists to reveal their confidential sources – and not surprisingly, has obstinately opposed the enactment of a federal reporter’s shield law to protect journalists from the prospect of lengthy imprisonment or crippling monetary fines for simply doing their jobs.

Some will argue that the restrictions and secrecy were necessary. Others contend that they were purely opportunistic. Right or wrong, for better or worse, the tenure of this administration is coming to an end. Later this year, a national election will determine who will decide the future of FOI. Those who care about open government are hoping that the candidates will commit themselves to an agenda that will reject the directives, policies, and practices that have turned the executive branch into a virtual bunker of impenetrable secrecy, and reopen it to public scrutiny.

It is always risky to speculate about how a particular candidate will address these issues once he or she is in office. On the hustings, no candidate is against open government. Words like “accountability” and “transparency” may pepper their speeches. And, as they utter them, they may even believe them.

But I’ve observed government long enough to know that even the best intentions are often unfulfilled once an administration assumes office. Openness and accountability sound terrific in the abstract. But maintaining the commitment in the midst of the turmoil of political Washington is the challenge.

Nevertheless, I remain optimistic. A new generation of voters, who are accustomed to taking and sharing information through the Internet, will not settle, I predict, for business as usual. The old techniques of obfuscation and concealment simply won’t wash with young people who seek out the answers for themselves and who demand transparency from those who govern them.

That said, I do remain concerned about some things.

I worry that the judiciary, which for more than 75 years has maintained an almost unbroken tradition of expanding and enhancing the rights of freedom of speech, and of the press, is retrenching, rethinking, and in many cases, restricting those rights. Whether it is the failure to recognize a First Amendment-based reporters privilege, or a reluctance to allow meaningful access to digitized records because of theoretical concerns about security or privacy, or the continued refusal to expand the right of the public to observe judicial proceeding by allowing cameras into our courts – it all adds up to a net loss for the public’s right to know.

I worry that legitimate concerns about security at the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions will prompt our law enforcement officials to extend and expand their surveillance activities in overly zealous and inappropriate ways that will intimidate and chill the rights of citizens to engage in peaceful protest.

And I worry that just at a time when my fellow citizens need in-depth news reporting – the news that is essential to making informed decisions – economic challenges will result in shrinking the resources that are necessary to support the kind of outstanding investigative reporting that we are honoring today.

You may share these worries. You may have others.

But however substantial and genuine these worries may be, I remain optimistic, because I recognize that those of us gathered here today, and many others like us around the state and around the nation, will not tolerate another decade of secrecy, predicated on fear.
So much of the secrecy that exists today was based on panic. It was justified as necessary to address threats on a scale that most of us found unfathomable – and terrifying. It shook our nation to the core.

But it is past time to get back to our first principles. It is past time to recognize that this nation is strong, that it was conceived in revolution, but born to live as a country bounded by the rule of law.

It is my hope that our return to these principles – our return to sanity – is already underway.
Our long journey through the dark tunnel of secrecy is coming to an end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you.

-30-

COGI-tations: A program of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

2008-03-19T10:24:00.001-05:00

James Nobles
Legislative Auditor, State of Minnesota
“Bringing Light to How Government Works”

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
5:00 p.m.

TIES Administrative Building
1667 Larpenteur (SW corner of Snelling & Larpenteur)
St. Paul

Since 1983, Jim Nobles has diligently served the State of Minnesota as Legislative Auditor. The nonpartisan Legislative Auditor provides a critical link between the inner workings of state government and the taxpayers.

The work of the Legislative Auditor includes financial audits, program evaluations, and special reviews in cases of alleged misuse of state funds or resources, or alleged violations of the state code of conduct for employees in the Executive Branch. The Legislative Auditor’s authority extends to virtually all state funded programs and studies that affect state government. As we have recently seen in the news, audits in progress include the state’s JOBZ program, Green Acres and agricultural land preservation programs, charter schools, PERA and financial management of healthcare programs. We can also expect a legislative audit of our state’s highways and bridges to be released soon.

Though reports of the Legislative Auditor may at times escape the headlines, they capture the attention of elected officials, bureaucrats and advocacy groups because of the critical watchdog function played by Nobles’ office.

Come meet Jim Nobles and learn more about the mission of this unique agent of openness, who is responsible to a great extent for transparency in government, for public disclosure of problems, and for investigative reports essential to an informed citizenry.

Co-sponsored by
Common Cause Minnesota &
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

Free and open to the public

MN FOI Celebration Updated!

2008-03-07T04:19:00.000-06:00

I know this looks familar - but there are some updates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2008

Freedom of Information Award Recognizes
Bridge Collapse Coverage, Pro se Legal Services

Silha Center’s Jane Kirtley Envisions “The Light at the End of the Tunnel”

The people’s right to know assumes a vast network of agencies and individuals is committed to affirmation of that right. Recipients of the 2008 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award employ that right to the benefit of readers. The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MnCOGI) will present this year’s awards to highlight the public’s right to know and to kickoff Sunshine Week 2008.

By any measure, the collapse of the 35W Bridge is the story of 2007 - covered by every news medium from every journalistic angle. With this award the MnCOGI specifically notes the ways in which these journalists have enhanced public understanding of the tragedy through their explicit use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Minnesota Data Practices Act to gain access to public information.

Recipients of the John R. Finnegan FOI Award include several investigative journalists including Associated Press staffers Martiga Lohn and Brian Bakst and Star Tribune reporters Dan Browning, Kevin Diaz, Patrick Doyle, Mike Kaszuba, Tony Kennedy and Paul McEnroe.

The Coalition will also confer two Honorable Mention Awards. An Honorable Mention Award will be given to Susan Albright, former Editorial Page Editor at the Star Tribune. Albright, now with MinnPost, is recognized for her articulate appreciation of the dependence of a free press on access to government information and for her consistent editorial support of the principles of open government.

Recipients of the second Honorable Mention Award are Susan Ledray and Katrina Zabinski, coordinators of the innovative “Self Help Center” (SHC) in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. As designers of the SHC Ledray and Zabinski explicitly used government information to both define and meet the needs of a targeted population. The nomination document notes that the SHC serves “thousands of pro se litigants in Minnesota to move through court more efficiently, more effectively and more informed.” In the words of Judge Edward Lynch, the SHC “provides information, resources and assistance to thousands of litigants representing themselves in court proceedings.” The Self Help Center is now available in all Minnesota counties.
Awards will be presented at Freedom of Information Day ceremonies on Friday, March 14, Noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library.
Keynote speaker for the event is Jane Kirtley, Director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota. Kirtley is an internationally-known expert and lecturer on issues of media law and freedom of information. Prior to joining the U of M School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1999, Kirtley was the Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a columnist for American Journalism Review. Her presentation is entitled “The Light at the End of the Tunnel: The Outlook for FOI.”
John R. Finnegan, Sr., for whom the award is named, is a Minnesota journalist and renowned defender of the First Amendment and the role of informed citizens in a democracy.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation representing individuals and organizations committed to open access to public information in print, electronic and digital formats. The Coalition involves media representatives, attorneys, librarians, computer professionals, state and local government officials, educators and others who care about transparency in government, information access and the role of an informed citizenry in a democracy.

# # #

Contact: Mary Treacy
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
mncogi@gmail.com
http://www.mncogi.org

Freedom of Information Award Recognizes Bridge Collapse Coverage, Pro se Legal Services

2008-03-06T05:05:00.002-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2008

Freedom of Information Award Recognizes Bridge Collapse Coverage, Pro se Legal Services

Silha Center’s Jane Kirtley Envisions “The Light at the End of the Tunnel”

The people’s right to know assumes a vast network of agencies and individuals committed to affirmation of that right. Recipients of the 2008 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award reflect the many facets of information access. The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MnCOGI) will present this year’s awards as a highlight of Freedom of Information and the kickoff of Sunshine Week 2008.

By any measure, the collapse of the 35W Bridge is the story of 2007 - covered by every news medium from every journalistic angle. Recipients of the FOI Award include several investigative journalists including Associated Press staffers Martiga Lohn and Brian Bakst and Star Tribune reporters Dan Browning, Kevin Diaz, Patrick Doyle, Mike Kaszuba and Paul McEnroe. All of these journalists have enhanced public understanding of the tragedy through their explicit use of the Freedom of Information Act and the Minnesota Data Practices Act to gain access to public information.

The Coalition will also confer two Honorable Mention Awards. An Honorable Mention Award will be given to Susan Albright, former Editorial Page Editor at the Star Tribune. Albright, now with MinnPost, is recognized for her articulate appreciation of the dependence of a free press on access to government information and for her consistent editorial support of the principles of open government.

Recipients of the second Honorable Mention Award are Susan Ledray and Katrina Zabinski, coordinators of the innovative “Self Help Center” (SHC) in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. As designers of the SHC Ledray and Zabinski explicitly used government information to both define and meet the needs of a targeted population. The nomination document notes that the SHC serves “thousands of pro se litigants in Minnesota to move through court more efficiently, more effectively and more informed.” In the words of Judge Edward Lynch, the SHC “provides information, resources and assistance to thousands of litigants representing themselves in court proceedings.” The Self Help Center is now available in all Minnesota counties.

Awards will be presented at Freedom of Information Day ceremonies on Friday, March 14, Noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library.
Keynote speaker for the event is Jane Kirtley, Director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota. Kirtley is an internationally-known expert and lecturer on issues of media law and freedom of information. Prior to joining the U of M School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1999, Kirtley was the Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a columnist for American Journalism Review. Her presentation is entitled “The Light at the End of the Tunnel: The Outlook for FOI.”
John R. Finnegan, Sr., for whom the award is named, is a Minnesota journalist and renowned defender of the First Amendment and the role of informed citizens in a democracy.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation representing individuals and organizations committed to open access to public information in print, electronic and digital formats. The Coalition involves media representatives, attorneys, librarians, computer professionals, state and local government officials, educators and others who care about transparency in government, information access and the role of an informed citizenry in a democracy.

# # #

Contact: Mary Treacy
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
mncogi@gmail.com
http://www.mncogi.org

Reminder: Still time to Register for Afloat on the Wireless Pond - Saturday, March 1

2008-02-29T02:08:00.002-06:00

Minnesota’s Hidden Heroes in the News

There are many things about MinnPost that are worthy of note - the first rate team of investigative journalists, the style, the tone, the format. From my perspective as an information junky, MinnPost adds a subtle but significant spin by focusing not just on the news but on the behind-the-scenes work. Yesterday’s blog was about hidden heroes of Minnesota history; today’s MinnPost offers some timely examples:
There’s a great piece from the Minnesota Historical Society, a MinnPost partner, about how to locate death certificate information collected over the decades by meticulous government employees, now organized and made accessible through the Minnesota Historical Society. This incredible resource, representing countless hours of work by skilled and committed public servants, is now accessible on the web.
A second article describes the ways in which the Poetry Foundation is opening up its extensive, and carefully maintained, poetry collection by engaging comic strip illustrators to add their creative interpretation to sometimes inscrutable literary works. Somebody logged and indexed and catalogs those hundreds of thousands of poems now enhanced and shared online.
The third story spotlights a different “hidden heroine,” in this case a Spanish-English translator, a woman who connected the dots to solve the puzzle of the mysterious illness that struck packing house workers in Austin. If you ever want to observe the mind of a “hidden heroine” at work, here is a superb example
And finally, MinnPost itself plays an essential role by sharing this latent information with a readership that will use that information to achieve its potential. Today is just one example of an ongoing emphasis of the journal.

All of which raises digital age questions: How will MinnPost and other digital resources be preserved, organized, made accessible for future Minnesotans who want to know about what’s going on today? What is the public good of that preserved and organized information? What is the responsibility of public institutions to take the long view? How are we addressing the preparation of Minnesotans to understand the power of information or their information rights?

Announcing: Hidden Heroes of Minnesota History Wiki *

2008-02-28T11:33:00.002-06:00

Minnesota Sesquicentennial Question: Who is a “hidden hero” of Minnesota history? How do we know what we know about our state? Who gathered all those files, that data, the maps, the diaries, the photos that tell the story, that give us a glimpse into our past? And who is doing that now in our digital age? What were the skills of the archivist? The selector? The curator? The indexer? The librarian? The genealogist? The publisher?

Most of all, who are these people. For the most part, they didn’t make history - and they surely didn’t make it into the history books -- but they are essential links to understanding Minnesota at 150 years or at our Bicentennial in 2058.

These are the questions that keep coming to me as we’ve prepared for the March 2008 Afloat on the wireless pond conference. Compulsive surfer that I am I’ve sifted through the digital record to spot and shine a flicker of light on those hidden heroes and heroines. Knowing that I’m barely touching the surface, I’ve made no attempt to go beyond the digital record.

The Afloat conference is upon us now so I’m taking a break in the surfing expedition to post the little nuggets I’ve dug up so far. Just as the Minnesota History Center encourages the public to add to their Sesquicentennial wiki of famous folks I’m asking you to contribute to this mini-wiki by putting a name, maybe a face, on some of those self-effacing public servants, scholars, collectors, archivists, genealogists or much-maligned packrats who’ve seen to it that we know the stories. Be sure to include those who are exploring with gusto the ways in which information age technology is expanding and enhancing access.

That’s what the Afloat conference is all about - the jumpstart to a hidden hero wiki! Thanks for your help!

* My definition of “hero” is inclusive, particularly since an extraordinary number of these heroes are very female

Mary Treacy

Traditional Press & Bloggers Met Monday...

2008-02-27T05:35:00.001-06:00

3-2-1 Dive into the wireless pond! It’s not too late to sign up for the “Afloat on the wireless pond” conference set for Saturday, March 1. Curious about the theme? Remember that the genesis of the idea emerged from the 2007 conference focused on Henry Thoreau’s little-known travels in Minnesota. The idea was, and is, Thoreau-inspired -- a time, place and stimulus for Minnesotans to reflect on the reality of living in an information world. We spend far more time mastering the tools than giving a passing thought to the social, economic, political and aesthetic upheaval in which we float. The setting on the beautiful Luther Seminary campus sets the stage; the diverse presenters play unique roles - a geographer, data manager, philosopher, educator, city planner, poet, journalist and other thoughtful colleagues willing to share their expertise and their insights. How do you plan to spend the extra day this week? There’s still time to sign up.

The “traditional” press and the bloggers met Monday night in the opulent splendor of the new Minnesota Public Radio to share insights on standards and ethics in journalism. Bob Collins played the ringleader/MPR blogger role while guest Dan Gillmor focused on content. Gillmor has clearly given much thought to what is and what is possible to support an informed society -- and a readership that wants to learn. Just about everybody had something to say - several men and at least four women (one a “panelist”) got to speak. Maybe it was the cold outside, but no one seemed in any hurry to leave, even after pretty much everything had been said. Many thanks to the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists which set the stage for this diverse audience. It’s the jumpstart of an essential and more substantive conversation, virtual or mano a mano. The questions raised, sometimes answered, testify to the need for more.

Molnau Sold Farm Near Road She Pushed.
Read this from the information access - investigative journalism - perspective.

For Political Candidates, Saying Can Become Believing. I’ve often thought about this because I sometimes tell a story with such enthusiasm and regularity that I believe it myself. In fact, it often gets better with the telling. Ask any storyteller or Irishman.

GAO Finds Data Protection Lagging The balance between openness and privacy is being played out in Congress. Minnesota’s very own Senator Norm Coleman, along with Susan Collins (R-ME), chairs the committee that called for a study of data protection after the 2006 theft of a data-laden computer from a VA employee. Collins notes that “the findings released in this report are very troubling -- indicating that agency after agency has failed to make securing citizens' personal information a high priority."

Video on the Net: The Content Question, by Jeffrey A. Hart. On one level this isn’t specifically about access to government information, but it’s certainly grist for the mill of anyone who cares about an informed public. Hart offers a straightforward analysis of the topic, in layman’s terms.
On Tuesday, February 26, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on Electronic Records Preservation at the White House. The Committee, led by Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA-30), has been investigating what happened to millions of missing White House emails and what the White House is now doing to make sure it is preserving its records in compliance with the Presidential Records Act.

New from Sunshine Week -- a new partnership with Helium that creates a special page where anyone can write about open government issues or this year’s election theme. The Sunshine Week promos on the SW website deserve an affirmative vote. Check them out.

They Also Serve Who Only Stand

2008-02-25T03:54:00.001-06:00

The cadence doesn’t quite work, but it’s still a good idea. For a long time now I’ve been compiling what’s heretofore been known as “Hidden Heroes of Minnesota History”. It’s a Sesquicentennial diversion about which I’m getting more serious. Thus, I’m shedding the allegedly sexist “heroes” title for the more ubiquitous “They.” The point is the same:

We wouldn’t know about the Big Heroes if we didn’t have a legacy of countless unnamed heroes - individuals, organizations, funders, visionaries - who have pack ratted, collected, preserved, organized, tabulated, digitized, mapped, cataloged, indexed, reprinted, reformatted or otherwise opened the doors to the recorded history of our state -- or the cosmos, for that matter.

The process of making history available demands vision, collaboration, and a commitment to the past and to the future. Headline seekers need not apply. If egomania is not your thing, you too can join the ranks of the “also servers” by adding to this fledgling compilation of hidden heroes, heroines, and heroic organizations.

I’m about to post my totally random compilation, leaving it to others to amend and/or organize the list. Most important, please add your suggestions by emailing me with a jot or a treatise describing the “also servers” who have opened the door for you.

Preserving Minnesota’s digital resources: Along similar lines, the Minnesota office of Enterprise Technology recently submitted a mandated report to the Minnesota Legislature. Preserving the Present: Creating, Accessing and Maintaining Minnesota’s Electronic Documents, now available online, reflects the collective work of the agency and a survey of stakeholders. Citing the dynamic nature of technology innovation, the report specifically declines to recommend the adoption of a particular format standard. The study concludes that “the choice or use of a standard must not be to adopt a standard for the sake of adopting a standard. Any choice must be in the context of what value such a decision adds to government.”

The report goes on to identify several concrete, practical steps that the state can take to address electronic records policy issues.

Our Cells, Ourselves. Joel Garreau of the Washington Post poses a whole lot of tough questions for a Sunday morning. Taking a global look at the impact of the cell phone, Garreau ponders the question of whether the cell phone, now a global factor, frees or tethers us. He doesn’t answer that question, either, but he does leave me turning it over in my mind. Turn your cell off for the few minutes it will take to read this thoughtful piece.

Quote: "When information which properly belongs to the public is systematically withheld by those in power, the people soon become ignorant of their own affairs, distrustful of those who manage them, and - eventually - incapable of determining their own destinies." Pres. Richard Nixon, 1972

Scientists Call on next President to End Political Interference in Science; Guarantee Scientists' Freedoms. A panel of leading scientists recently issued a significant call for openness at the annual conference of the AAAS (February 15). Speaking at the announcement event Francesca Grifo, director of the Scientific Integrity Program at UCS, observed that “good federal policy depends upon reliable and robust scientific work… When science is falsified, fabricated or censored, Americans' health and safety suffer.”

Mary Treacy

COGI Quote - Feb 22

2008-02-22T07:44:00.000-06:00

Stephen Aftergood provides these transsparency quotes from the Big Three in a recent issue of Nieman Watchdog (2-7-08). Keep these in mind during pre and post-election days.

“Excessive administration secrecy... feeds conspiracy theories and reduces the public's confidence in government,” Sen. John McCain

"I'll turn the page on a growing empire of classified information,” Sen. Barack Obama.

“We'll protect sources and methods, but we won't use sources and methods as pretexts to hide the truth.” “We need a return to transparency and a system of checks and balances, to a president who respects Congress's role of oversight and accountability,” Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Can anyone provide parallel quotes from Minnesota senatorial wannabe's?

Is the spectrum just too complex for reporters?

2008-02-22T07:41:00.000-06:00

Is the spectrum just too complex for reporters? Article in the Nieman Watchdog and flagged in Media Reform.The title is provocative and it’s a good question. I would argue that the spectrum itself isn’t all that complicated - it’s the USE of the spectrum that baffles reporters and advocacy groups. Roger Sween spoke of the “implicitless” of information - and of the radio waves that deliver it. We feel compelled, somehow, to separate the discussion of means from the discussion of content. The techies vs. the nerds…In government, it’s IT in one silo, the public record, data, useful government information in a separate silo. Meanwhile, the radio waves are perceived as one-directional. Only now, the keepers of the word, especially the print press, are straddling what, in my mind, is the most pernicious of the several digital divides.

Self-proclaimed professional agitator Sheldon Mains started a digital deluge today by announcing he’s cancelled his Strib subscription. His rationale struck a chord with E-Democracy readers, virtually all of them recovering Strib readers. As a longtime cancelled Strib subscriber I must admit an occasional pang of regret that I can’t recancel - unless, of course, I resubscribe, in which case I would have to endure that barrage of dunning phone calls when I recancel…..

Mary Treacy

Net Neutrality Is a Civil Rights Issue

2008-02-22T07:39:00.000-06:00

Net Neutrality Is a Civil Rights Issue. There’s tons written about network neutrality, currently being fiercely debated at the federal - especially FCC - level. This article by Mark Lloyd and Joseph Torres deals specifically and insightfully with the digital divide, stressing the inherent link (sometimes overlooked) between information and telecom access.

Afloat in the Wireless Pond - A Week Away

2008-02-21T13:23:00.002-06:00

Not your “in the box” day: We have room for a few more participants in the March 1 conference affectionately (?) known as “Afloat in the wireless pond.” All the details at www.mncogi.org. If you’re looking for the same old, same old this is not your venue, but if you’re looking for original perspectives on our digital environment, check it out! Where else will you find a noted journalist, a geographer, a poet, a philosopher, a data manager, city planner, librarian and high school students - plus numerous demos and a room full of creative thinkers -- all focused on the realities and possibilities of information age life in Minnesota. Note: Students are invited to participate at no charge.

Reuters Group PLC Taken Over by Canada’s Thomson Corp

2008-02-21T13:22:00.000-06:00

Thomson Gains Clearance From Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2008 by Corey Boles and Jessica Hodgson

Competition authorities in the U.S. and Europe cleared the takeover of Reuters Group PLC by Canada’s Thomson Corp., which would create a financial-data giant, on the condition that the companies divest some assets. Local implications???

Kind Words for COGI

2008-02-21T13:20:00.001-06:00

It’s always great to receive a pat on the back – even better when the “patter” is held in high esteem -- and better yet when you can share it….We rec’d this note today from the Free Government Information, i.e. the federal government document librarians .

In the spirit of openness, we’re sharing….We Salute MnCOGI by dcornwall

...About the only quibble we have with MnCOGI is that we believe that collection, maintenance and preservation of information are responsibilities too important to be left to each government office. They must be

assisted in those tasks by third parties with fewer axes to grind, like
libraries. But this is a minor quibble given the level of involvement by
libraries in MnCOGI.

One last thing we appreciate about MnCOGI is that they have signed up
nonlibrarian organizations like the MN Newspapers Association to their efforts.
Congratulations on that. Keep up your important work!

Thank you FGI - we appreciate your plaudits and take seriously your quibble.

Nominations open

2008-02-21T13:18:00.001-06:00

Minnesotans promote and protect the right to know in strange and wondrous way. Think about the individuals and organizations that carry the torch in times of great social, political and technological change. You still have time to submit a nomination for the 19th annual John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Nominations due Monday, March 3. The awardee(s) will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day celebration on Friday, March 14, Noon at the Minneapolis Public Library.

Research Tool for Tracking the Finances

2008-02-21T13:17:00.000-06:00

Sunlight follows the federal politics money trail is a new research tool for tracking the finances that support the campaigns of federal elected officials from Minnesota MinnPost 2-20-08

Sunshine Week in DC

2008-02-21T13:16:00.000-06:00

If you’re going to be in DC during Sunshine Week - March 16-22Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley will address Freedom of Information and other open government issues during a Sunshine Week dinner event March 18 at The National Press Club. The dinner is being jointly presented by Sunshine Week and the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library.

The speech will update Curley's 2004 Hays-Enterprise Lecture which many view as a defining moment in moving forward the myriad efforts ongoing now to preserve and protect access to information. "The government is pushing hard for secrecy," he said in the Hays speech. "We must push back equally hard for openness." Curley's 2008 speech will look ahead to priorities in the new administration.

Keeping an Eye on MN Legislature

2008-02-21T13:14:00.004-06:00

How and where Minnesota’s Congressional delegation working on Internet issues. Some interesting stories linked to each legislator’s name and locale. (Save the Internet)

A quick glimpse at legislative, judicial and regulatory realities in Minnesota, published by Free Press.
Note that Free Press will be holding their Media Reform Conference in Mpls June 6-8 2008. - Just as the title suggests, a look at who owns TV, radio, print media, the web, films and more.

Art exhibit seeks to shed light on climate change

2008-02-21T13:14:00.002-06:00

Art exhibit seeks to shed light on climate change
A new exhibit at the Bell Museum combines the ideas of art with science to draw diverse crowds. This multimedia exhibition includes paintings, drawings, sculpture and music by 20 Wisconsin artists, designed to “help people who might not be so attuned to the facts and figures” of climate change.

Maplewood City Council Rethinks Public Forums

2008-02-21T13:05:00.000-06:00

Maplewood City Council to consider change in format of contentious public forums
Contentious sessions criticized; council may change policy
The notorious Maplewood City Council raises some provocative First Amendment issues.

Common Cause and Washington Monthly

2008-02-20T11:44:00.002-06:00

Common Cause and Washington Monthly – Do they just like each other?
If you’re into romance among the pundits, keep an eye on this. The Washington Post, always on the lookout, sees some flickers in the relationship between Common Cause and Washington Monthly, the advocacy group and the highly regarded journal. Of particular interest as Common Cause steps up its membership and advocacy activities in Minnesota.

Even Without Technology Youth Media Thrives

2008-02-20T11:40:00.001-06:00

Even Without Technology Youth Media Thrives
Fascinating article about youth, media and technology – good background read for the “Afloat in the wireless pond” conference on March 1.

State Highways and Bridges

2008-02-20T11:37:00.002-06:00

Because the Minnesota Legislative Auditor's Report on State Highways and Bridges grabbed all of the headlines today you probably know that it was little critical of MnDOT's decisions and forthright communication with the public. Che

Come to hear more from Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles at the premier "COGI-tations" program sponsored by MnCOGI and Common Cause Minnesota - Tuesday, April 8, 5:00 p.m. at the TIES administrative office, Snelling and Larpenteur in St. Paul.

A Plan to Offer 50 Sites on Politics in 50 States

2008-02-19T08:13:00.001-06:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/technology/18observer.html
The New York Observer prepares for the election by launching a spate of state-specific publications.

COGI Quote - Feb 18

2008-02-18T14:19:00.000-06:00

Are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul? Socrates

New Media, New Journalism – Ethics in Online Journalism

2008-02-18T04:23:00.001-06:00

New Media, New Journalism – Ethics in Online Journalism
A Minnesota SPJ Public Forum
Monday, February 25, 2008 7:00 p.m.
UBS Forum, Minnesota Public Radio
480 Cedar Street, St. Paul