Maryland's not as open as it could be
March 15, 2009: "If you want to use the Internet to view the inspection report on your aged parent's nursing home, Maryland's the place to be. But if you want to do an online check on the certification of your child's teacher, you're out of luck.
A new report shows that Maryland's government is neither as transparent as Texas' nor as opaque as Mississippi's in the information offered on its Web sites. The Free State, tied for 18th place out of 50, can claim to be on the clear side of translucent government." Read the full article here.
On FOIA request, deliberate delay invites suspicion
February 18, 2009: The Freedom of Information Act makes government more transparent. Shedding light on public information helps citizens remain vigilant against government malfeasance, and helps elected officials by clearing the air surrounding controversial issues.
Requests for public information are common. But when Casa de Maryland filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office to obtain documents detailing training and arrest records, some of our elected officials balked. Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger calls Casa de Maryland’s legal request "an outrageous waste of taxpayer money.” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins calls it "absolutely outrageous.” Both leaders are wrong. Read the full editorial here.
Ask the Editor — Shining the light, we hope
February 7, 2009: One of our main goals in this newsroom is to make full and thorough use of two laws intended to make government as transparent as possible.
One is the Maryland Public Information Act; the other the federal Freedom of Information Act (or as we jargonishly call them, PIA and FOIA, pronounced "foy-ah").
Under these acts, the public -- that's right, anyone -- can make a request to government to reveal anything considered public information. Read the full editorial here.
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