\u201cWhat have you got to hide?\u201d\u00a0 This question comes up too often.\u00a0 In other cases, it doesn\u2019t come up enough.\u00a0 Mostly, it\u2019s asked by police when wanting to search a vehicle, home, or even a person, without a search warrant.<\/p>\n
The annual Iowa Freedom of Information Council\u2019s luncheon and program was held last Friday, September 24.\u00a0 The speaker, Karen Kaiser, the Associated Press\u2019s in-house lawyer, turned the table and encouraged those in attendance (primarily media representatives) to ask the question of government officials and staff.\u00a0 It gets tougher all the time to obtain information from elected leaders and the people they employ to operate \u201cour\u201d government.\u00a0 What have they got to hide?<\/p>\n
During the question and answer period, KCCI-TV News Director Dave Busiek referred to the difficulty news outlets have in obtaining information that is perhaps irrelevant to an investigation. It\u2019s almost funny how law enforcement agencies hesitate to produce in-dash camera videos from police cars, but when the agency has a promo piece it wants to hit all corners of the earth it expects the media to print or broadcast its news release without delay.<\/p>\n
Iowa\u2019s public records laws, Iowa Code Chapter 22, has been around for almost 40 years.\u00a0 In the beginning, there were 11 exceptions to the chapter\u2019s requirements for government to produce records to the public upon request.\u00a0 Today, there are over 60 exceptions carved into the law.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s something to consider.\u00a0 When a bill is presented in the Iowa Legislature that pertains to Chapter 22, or Chapter 21 (Open Meetings), a group of about 25-30 people will gather around a table.\u00a0 Three of the group will most likely be legislators; 3 others will be those of us from the outside (lobbyists representing newspapers, broadcasters, or Fawkes-Lee & Ryan subscribers); and the remaining people at the table are paid by government entities.\u00a0 Those people are paid to deny you access to your records.<\/p>\n
Fawkes-Lee and Ryan will be at the table this upcoming session working diligently to prevent the expansion of the exceptions list.<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2010 Fawkes-Lee & Ryan.\u00a0 All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s almost funny how law enforcement agencies hesitate to produce in-dash camera videos from police cars, but when the agency has a promo piece it wants to hit all corners of the earth it expects the media to print or broadcast its news release without delay. Continue reading