QUICKLINK   Colorado · September 12, 2008 · Freedom of information

Smaller news budgets, less ammunition for open records fights

Keywords: FOIA; Open Records

Share:
· Facebook
· LinkedIn
· Email
Print
Link

Beset by newsroom cutbacks and declining revenue, news groups are fighting fewer battles over public records -- and government officials are getting hip to the trend, according to a panel of journalists at a National Press Club event in Denver this week. 

Denver television reporter Brian Maass said that the government in the past understood the media would go to court if their requests were denied, according to a Press Club article. Now officials know media budgets are stretched thin, and a reporter's leverage in an open records dispute isn't what it was. 

"There's less fight in the media to battle for information," Maass said, according to the Press Club.  At the same time, Mark Cardwell, who is managing editor of the Denver Post, said newsrooms are supplementing their coverage with the work of “amateur journalists,” who go to events around town, like school board meetings, and then post the newsworthy bits on the paper's Web site.

Jason Wiederin, 3:20 pm · Comments: 0


Submit a comment

Name (what you want displayed):

Comment:

Please note: comments with hyperlinks will be rejected.

Email (only if you want to be notified of new comments):



Reporters Committee home

Send comments & tips

Subscribe by email

RSS feed

Follow us on Twitter

Find us on Facebook


News categories:

Broadcasting

Freedom of information

Intellectual property

Internet regulation

Libel

Newsgathering

Prior restraints

Privacy

Reporter's privilege

Secret courts

State open government


News keywords:

[list alphabetically]

Public Records

Shield Law

Open Records

Subpoenas

Confidential source issues

Defamation

E-mail

FOIA

Sealed records

Legislation

Internet

Secrecy

Sealed cases

Lawsuits

White House

Police

Privacy

Libel

FOIA reform

Photography & videotaping

List all keywords




Search:

Limit by date:

Fr:

To:

Category

Sort by
relevance
date