The Iowa Freedom of Information Council this week announced the 2019 recipients of its Friend of the First Amendment Award, which is given each year in memory of longtime Iowa Press Association and Iowa Daily Press Association journalist Harrison “Skip” … Continue Reading
This column by the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council was made available to newspapers across Iowa. By Randy Evans When he was governor, Terry Branstad often voiced his frustration that he was not able to comment … Continue Reading
The Iowa Freedom of Information Council sued the Polk County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday for refusing to make public its records related to the fatal shooting of a motorist in Altoona on June 17, 2018. The lawsuit asks a Polk … Continue Reading
Friends and coworkers of the late James S. Flansburg, the longtime chief political reporter for The Des Moines Register, have established a memorial fund in his honor at the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. Flansburg died Jan. 30 at the … Continue Reading
The Maquoketa Sentinel Press reported on May 3 on an incident near that northeastern Iowa community that once again raises questions of why police body camera video is being kept from the public far too often. A Jackson County prosecutor … Continue Reading
This column by Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, appeared in several Iowa newspapers. The First Amendment isn’t long, but it certainly packs a lot of angst into those few words: “Congress shall make no … Continue Reading
By Randy Evans The Iowa Supreme Court delivered an important, and unanimous, decision on April 5 on the issue of public access to law enforcement investigative files. But the exact ramifications of the decision remain a matter of conjecture. Lawyers … Continue Reading
Every week, the Iowa Freedom of Information Council fields a wide range of questions, by email and by telephone, about the state’s public records law and public meetings law. Some of those questions, and the answers we provided, follow. If … Continue Reading
The Iowa Public Information Board and a subcommittee of the Iowa Legislature have made it clear this spring that police investigative files, including squad car dash camera video and officer-worn body camera video, are confidential and do not have to … Continue Reading
One of the thorniest ongoing government accountability issues in Iowa deals with the question of public access to law enforcement videos and police investigative documents when officers are involved in fatal shootings. The Iowa Public Information Board has been wrestling … Continue Reading