By Chicago Headline Club President Steve Franklin
From an e-mail to the Chicago Headline Club mailing list:
You know what happens when reporters can’t get information they need. Their stories are incomplete, delayed or worse yet, they die. That is one of the reasons the Chicago Headline Club undertook a sweeping survey of the state of journalists’ freedom of information and access rights.
I’m writing to you because I hope you will join us on Sept. 17 when we discuss the findings and results of conversations we have had since with public officials. We will report on some improvements on the situation as a result of our talks. But as you will learn from the report, serious obstacles exist across a wide range of agencies.
Officials from several of the agencies highlighted in the report will discuss the findings along with journalists.
We will meet from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Lewis Towers at Loyola University’s Water Tower campus, 820 N. Michigan Ave. Our meeting is in the Regents Ballroom on the 16th floor and the entrance is on Pearson at Rush Street. A continental breakfast will also be provided.
The McCormick Foundation supported our work on the survey, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
This is one of the most important events that the Headline Club has undertaken in the last few years. And so, I hope you will take part as well pass the word along about this event.
We hope to hold a follow-up workshop soon on how to use your Freedom of Information rights and officials from the state Attorney General’s officials will help conduct the workshop.
If you have any questions, suggestions, stories to tell, whatever, please let me know.
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See also:
* Former Open Government Advocate Pat Quinn Opposes Freedom Of Information Now That He’s Governor
* Illinois Legislators Oppose Freedom Of Information
* Open Government On The Line: Tell Your Governor
* State Rep: Democracy Too Expensive For Illinois
* FOIA Reform Fading
* City To FOIA: Drop Dead
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Comments welcome.
Posted on August 30, 2011