FOI Roundtable Stirs Conversation on Media Relations
The Wilmington News Journal held the second in a series of FOI Roundtables, co-sponsored by APME, in Dover, the Delaware capital. The roundtables bring journalists together with public officials and citizens to share views on open government issues. After an initial give-and-take on one senator’s bill to put more sunshine in legislative proceedings, the discussion turned to distrust and the need for all to build better relationships. One official suggested said the public records request process “sets up an adversarial relationship.” More positively, another suggested state departments consider developing new rules on information that could be released without citizens or reporters having to file a formal freedom of information request. (9/2/05)