Posts by cgordon1
Government losing sight of serving the public
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Several times a week, someone reaches out to me because they had difficulty learning about a government meeting or ran into obstacles trying to get government records. These calls and emails to the Iowa Freedom of Information…
Read MoreRegister editor: Big tech is squeezing the finances of newspapers in Iowa and across U.S.; here’s how an antitrust bill could help
Google and Facebook stack the deck against newspapers and broadcasters by refusing to compensate publishers for the work their journalists produce. This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Carol HunterDes Moines Register Just as Iowa is a state of small towns, it’s a state boasting an extraordinary number of small but…
Read MoreGovernment needs room for common sense
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. People like to talk about what the law says. And in Iowa, the law has a lot to say. Just look at the Iowa Code. It now fills eight volumes and costs $295 for a complete set.…
Read MoreCharter schools must have sunshine, too
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The 2021 session of the Iowa Legislature will end in a few weeks, and one big issue moving toward a final vote would make charter schools easier to create as an alternative to the traditional K-12 public…
Read MoreHow you can still lose while winning in court
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Many years ago, during a conversation with an old lawyer, he made a comment I still remember: “You can sue the bishop of Boston for bastardy, but that doesn’t mean you are going to collect.” It was…
Read MoreIowa should stop keeping police discipline secret
Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council This article is free to use and publish in your publication. The actions of journalists and police officers were in the spotlight last week in a Des Moines courtroom. The scrutiny came at the trial of Andrea Sahouri, a Des Moines Register reporter. She was arrested while…
Read MoreIt’s a violation of free press rights to bring to trial a Des Moines Register reporter arrested while covering a protest
This article is free to use and publish in your publication. By Carol Hunter, executive editorThe Des Moines Register Freedom of the press stands alongside freedom of religion, speech, assembly and petition as the rights guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. That makes the upcoming trial of a Des Moines Register reporter…
Read MoreTri-State Newspaper Convention draws more than 500 attendees
Newspaper professionals from 14 states participated in the 2021 Tri-State Newspaper Convention, a virtual program presented on Feb. 4-5 by the Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin newspaper associations. More than 500 people registered for the two-day, virtual event that provided insights from more than 20 speakers on subjects ranging from “Publishing Through a Pandemic” to “Covering…
Read MoreInitiate conversations with your readers
By Jim Pumarlo A reader questions your policy for reporting suicides. A retailer challenges your staff to produce timely and relevant business news. A reporter is confronted for printing a press release charging a candidate with unfair campaign practices without contacting the accused for a response. A family member gets emotional over publication of an…
Read MoreIowaWatch offers news stories for free
Stories from IowaWatch – The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism are open to any Iowa news outlet to republish, with appropriate credit given to the decade-old nonprofit news outlet. Executive Director Suzanne Behnke offered these tips: Email her at suzanne-behnke@iowawatch.org to be added to the distribution list. When a story is published, an email…
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