Government Transparency

The Utah Legislature has received the Society of Professional Journalists’ Black Hole Award, a dubious honor that highlights significant violations of the public’s right to know. The award was presented for two new laws, Senate Bill 277 and House Bill 69, passed in the 2025 General Session that alter how…

The first Sunshine Fest March 19-20 enabled about 160 people from throughout the country – and also from Canada, Brazil and Ghana – to discuss solutions to the most pressing problems in government transparency.  The sold-out event was coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the…

Federal agencies should improve the FOIA process by utilizing data tools more effectively to identify records to proactively post, according to a white paper issued Feb. 24 by the Data Working Group of the Chief FOIA Officers’ Council.  The working group interviewed representatives from 10 federal agencies to find that…

Whistle blowers are a key component for the public to learn about what the government is up to, and a recent study in Public Administration found the best way to encourage government employees to do the right thing is to focus on the waste of tax dollars for the community…

A bill that could impose new fees and limitations on public records requests has advanced through its first committee in the New Mexico House. Orginially reported by the New Mexico Political Report, the bill, which was sponsored by democratic State Rep. Christine Chandler, passed with nearly unanimous support but has…

A recent study published in the Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology examined how government efficiency, transparency, and accountability in Afghanistan can enhance entrepreneurship. Researchers analyzed World Bank data and found that governments whose practices focus on improving efficiency, reducing corruption, and promoting transparency foster a more vibrant…

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) has awarded the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award to St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and The Marshall Project for their collaborative investigative project, “Unsolved.” This groundbreaking project has been…

A recent study in Indonesia highlights frustrations like those reported by public records requesters in the United States. The researcher of the study, “Citizens’ subjective experiences of public information disclosure: A human rights and transparency perspective,” conducted 10 in depth-interviews with individuals seeking government records to learn that people were…

A recent survey of 2,500 U.S. city department heads suggests that there are varying attitudes toward public data transparency nationally.   Published in the latest issue of the Government Information Quarterly, the survey, led by Mary Feeney of Arizona State University, found that city department heads were generally in favor of releasing…

A new bill is making its way through the Wisconsin State Legislature that could bring the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) under the state’s public records and open meetings laws.  According to reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, State Rep. Cindi Duchow and Sen. Cory Tomczyk are co-sponsoring the legislation,…

The seventh annual Freedom of Information Research Competition, sponsored by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and University of Florida Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, welcomes one-page proposals for papers that shed light on freedom of information.  The top three papers will earn cash prizes and will be…

A study recently published in the Journal of Mathematics Instruction, Social Research and Opinion found that while 92% residents in Budhanilkantha, Nepal, understood the importance of transparency in creating good government, only a quarter sought information from the government. Khila Nath Sapkota of Tribhuvan University surveyed 120 people from the…