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By Randy Evans | Executive Director, Iowa Freedom of Information Council You don’t often hear anyone extol the benefits of the Covid pandemic. But I did few weeks ago — when I stood before the Storm Lake Kiwanis club and talked about government transparency in Iowa. I did not wade into the debate over masks,…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — May 14, 2024Contact: Lynne Lance, executive director, lynne@nna.org   Dear NNA member, This summer, the Postal Regulatory Commission will review the regulations that permit USPS to require postage increases twice a year.  NNA needs your help. Postage for Periodicals has increased by more than 35% since 2021. For some newspapers, the…

The Iowa Newspaper Foundation and Iowa Freedom of Information Council are teaming up to on a new series of training videos this summer to help inform journalists about the laws affecting government meetings and access to government records. The library of videos will be archived by the INA staff and will be available at no…

Funded by friends and family of longtime Iowa newspaper reporter and former Des Moines Register Northeast Iowa Bureau chief, Jack Hovelson, an annual $500 scholarship will be awarded to a sophomore, junior or senior at University of Northern Iowa or Iowa State University. Applicants must demonstrate dedication to print or digital journalism, and exhibit curiosity,…

Kathie Obradovich is editor-in-chief for Iowa Capital Dispatch, part of a national not-for-profit news organization that launched in January 2020. She leads an experienced staff covering state news and politics and writes a column. Dozens of Iowa newspapers, broadcast stations and news sites regularly republish Iowa Capital Dispatch content. Kathie has more than 35 years…

By Randy Evans The increasing secrecy by Iowa law enforcement and their lawyers about identifying people by name raises important questions underlying public confidence in the critical work of first-responders. The question deals with whether police can or should refuse to identify persons involved in incidents and crimes. Despite Iowa’s history of openness about crimes…

By Randy Evans City leaders in Davenport have forgotten that city government there belongs to the people. It does not belong to the folks who were elected to city offices. This reminder is necessary because of a troubling series of events that is unlike any I have seen in five decades of monitoring the goings-on…

[AMES, IOWA, November 13, 2023]—Alan Mores (’80 Journalism and Mass Communication), received the James W. Schwartz Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Mass Communication from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 in Ames, Iowa. The award recognizes distinguished alumni and friends from the Greenlee School…