Transparency

Coalition of news organizations sues Texas DPS over withheld records on Uvalde shooting

2022-08-02T09:21:21-05:00

By Zach Despart The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 1, 2022 More than a dozen news organizations filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, accusing the agency of unlawfully withholding public records related to the May school shooting in Uvalde. The organizations — which include The Texas Tribune and its partner ProPublica and other local, state and national newsrooms — have each filed requests under the Texas Public Information Act for information detailing the response by various authorities, including law enforcement, to the massacre. DPS has refused to release records in response to these requests, even [...]

Coalition of news organizations sues Texas DPS over withheld records on Uvalde shooting2022-08-02T09:21:21-05:00

Bexar County, city of Elmendorf fight to keep body cam footage of police killing secret

2022-07-26T12:28:31-05:00

By Paul Flahive Texas Public Radio Originally published July 25, 2022 Two years ago, Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy Brandin Moran killed Jesus Benito Garcia in a rain of gunfire while a sergeant with the Elmendorf Police Department looked on. TPR requested body cam footage for both officers in an attempt to answer questions around Moran’s use of deadly force and the significant differences in narratives between Garcia’s family and law enforcement of what transpired. But both the county and the city of Elmendorf are fighting to keep the footage confidential. Read the full story here.

Bexar County, city of Elmendorf fight to keep body cam footage of police killing secret2022-07-26T12:28:31-05:00

AG Ken Paxton’s office weighs whether to keep Uvalde records secret

2022-07-19T10:08:46-05:00

By Caroline Ghisolfi Austin American-Statesman Originally published July 15, 2022 Newsrooms across the country are waiting on the Texas attorney general’s office to decide if records that could reveal crucial information about law enforcement’s botched response to the Uvalde school shooting should be released. But if the office's track record with such cases is any indication, there could be little chance that many of the records will be released any time soon. An American-Statesman investigation into the agency's handling of more than 240,000 public records disputes over Attorney General Ken Paxton's nearly eight-year tenure reveals that his office has increasingly blocked the [...]

AG Ken Paxton’s office weighs whether to keep Uvalde records secret2022-07-19T10:08:46-05:00

Austin American-Statesman and KVUE publish full video from Uvalde mass shooing

2022-07-13T12:02:48-05:00

By Manny Garcia Austin American-Statesman Editor Originally published July 12, 2022 The Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary School happened on May 24, seven weeks ago. Here is the video from the tragedy for transparency and a column by Austin American-Statesman editor Manny Garcia on why his newspaper and KVUE decided to publish the footage. Authorities could have easily released it already, Garcia notes. We have to bear witness to history, and transparency and unrelenting reporting is a way to bring change, Garcia writes. Warning: Some may find the footage disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. See the full column and footage [...]

Austin American-Statesman and KVUE publish full video from Uvalde mass shooing2022-07-13T12:02:48-05:00

Tarrant Appraisal District Board violated open meetings act by locking doors, attorney says

2022-07-01T12:07:03-05:00

By Sandra Sadek Fort Worth Report Originally published June 30, 2022 Tarrant County residents’ frustrations with property tax appraisals boiled to the surface June 30 when so many people showed up that officials locked the doors to a public meeting. ... Joe Larsen, a media attorney and a Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas board member, said the meeting was a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act because a large majority of the public wanting to attend was not allowed in. When the board realized its meeting room was not large enough for the public, it should have recessed the [...]

Tarrant Appraisal District Board violated open meetings act by locking doors, attorney says2022-07-01T12:07:03-05:00
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