Transparency

Newspaper highlights its best uses of Texas Public Information Act in 2020

2021-01-11T20:51:58-06:00

By Marshall ReidDenton Record-ChronicleOriginally published Dec. 29, 2020 Each year, Denton Record-Chronicle reporters send dozens of requests for public information, a quasi-formal process to obtain hard-to-obtain information from government agencies. Requests range from routine contract requests to more complicated asks that often get bumped to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for guidance. Read the full story here about some of the best uses of the Texas Public Information Act by the Record-Chronicle in 2020.

Newspaper highlights its best uses of Texas Public Information Act in 20202021-01-11T20:51:58-06:00

After shutting down workouts, UH avoids serious COVID-19 outbreaks, public records show

2020-11-16T22:34:44-06:00

By Joseph DuarteHouston ChronicleOriginally published Nov. 12, 2020 The University of Houston athletic department has avoided any serious outbreaks of the novel coronavirus since temporarily halting voluntary summer workouts in June, test results provided to the Houston Chronicle show. During a nearly three-month span from July 30 to Oct. 22, the athletic department reported 26 positive cases out of 5,453 tests administered — a positivity rate of .005 percent — for 14 varsity sports, according to data obtained through an open-records request. Read the full story here.

After shutting down workouts, UH avoids serious COVID-19 outbreaks, public records show2020-11-16T22:34:44-06:00

Journalist Karen Blumenthal receives James Madison Award for open records activism

2020-11-10T20:26:22-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 10, 2020 AUSTIN – The late journalist and author Karen Blumenthal, an ardent advocate for the people’s right to know who ensured public access to historic Texas records in the Roe v. Wade case, has been honored with the James Madison Award. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas bestows the award on those who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the principles of the First Amendment and open government.  Blumenthal spent more than two decades with The Wall Street Journal, including eight years as its Dallas bureau chief, and wrote non-fiction books for young people in the final [...]

Journalist Karen Blumenthal receives James Madison Award for open records activism2020-11-10T20:26:22-06:00

The Highlander and The Dallas Morning News win 2020 Spirit of FOI Awards

2020-10-29T23:10:39-05:00

October 28, 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUSTIN – Two Texas news organizations have won Spirit of FOI Awards for reporting on a city’s potential free speech and open meetings violations and for waging a legal battle to obtain public records in a fatal police encounter. The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award, presented by the non-profit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, highlights journalism that upholds the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press and promotes or uses open government laws such as the Texas Public Information Act. The winners – The Highlander of Marble Falls and The Dallas Morning [...]

The Highlander and The Dallas Morning News win 2020 Spirit of FOI Awards2020-10-29T23:10:39-05:00

When ‘Live PD’ cameras rolled, Williamson County deputies used more violence

2020-10-27T17:24:12-05:00

By Julie Chang and Tony PlohetskiAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published Oct. 23, 2020 The kind of violence Imani Nembhard experienced in April 2019 became increasingly common in Williamson County after Sheriff Robert Chody invited the camera crews of “Live PD” to feature his department. An American-Statesman analysis of 124 use-of-force reports shows that violent encounters between Williamson County sheriff’s deputies and civilians nearly doubled from 43 in 2017 — the year before “Live PD” joined the department — to 82 in 2019. During the weeks when the reality TV show filmed with the department, deputies used force significantly more often than during weeks [...]

When ‘Live PD’ cameras rolled, Williamson County deputies used more violence2020-10-27T17:24:12-05:00

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