State Patrol won’t say how suspect was injured

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, DEC. 24, 2015: A state trooper used force at the end of a police chase that left an unarmed suspect injured, but the Iowa State Patrol is withholding video of the incident and other details about … Continue Reading


‘Free Speech Zones’ have no place in U.S.

This column first appeared in the Bloomfield Democrat on Dec. 16, 2015. By Randy Evans In the first half of the 20th Century, Edward Allen was a professor of mathematics at Iowa State University. Besides his academic work, Allen was … Continue Reading


U of I secrecy, Strawn contracts need scrutiny

This editorial appeared in The Des Moines Register on Dec. 16, 2015. Oh, the irony. The University of Iowa has hired a company to conduct polling for the school in an effort to improve its image. But now it turns … Continue Reading


This isn’t how public hearings should be run

Pipeline meeting infringed on freedom of speech This editorial appeared in The Des Moines Register on Dec. 22, 2015. Most of us are familiar with Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting, “Freedom of Speech.” It depicts a working-class American standing at a … Continue Reading


FOI Council fights Iowa City school secrecy

The work that Stephen Murley, the superintendent of the Iowa City public schools, did for pay for a consulting company in the Chicago area came under scrutiny this fall when the company was the subject of an investigation by the … Continue Reading


Passages on the FOI front

Change is occurring with several veteran Iowa journalists. Kathleen Richardson, the longtime executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, has stepped aside to devote more time to her day job as dean of the School of Journalism and … Continue Reading


Iowans pay millions to be kept in the dark

State agencies routinely block citizens’ access to information This editorial appeared in The Des Moines Register on Nov. 15, 2015. Was there ever a time when the American public was more distrustful of the government? Was there ever a time … Continue Reading


State of freedom of information, 2015

This report was prepared for the Iowa FOI Council’s annual meeting on Oct. 8, 2015, by Kathleen Richardson, the outgoing executive director of the council. INTRODUCTION The Iowa Public Information Board, a 3-year-old state agency tasked with helping to enforce … Continue Reading


State of freedom of information, 2014

This report was prepared for the Iowa FOI Council’s annual meeting, held on Oct. 2, 2014. The report was prepared by Kathleen Richardson, who was then the council’s executive director. Introduction After years of advocating for the creation of the … Continue Reading


Minutes from the 2013 Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting 2013 Thursday, Oct. 3 Iowa Theater, Iowa Memorial Union, Iowa City, IA Presiding: Dave Vickers, KROS Clinton, president