Thursday, September 10, 2009
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Midtown Commons
2324 University Ave West, St. Paul
*Women Venture meeting room

The Right to ask…The right to know
Featuring  Barbara A. Frey
Director of the Human Rights Program in the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota

International Right to Know Day is celebrated each year on September 28.  Increasingly the issue of the right to know as a basic human right is on the public agenda.  Come learn more about plans, gather materials, and explore ways in which Minnesotans can participate in the celebration. More »

Volume 3: Issue 7

We are pleased to offer our monthly newsletter in an online format. If you have not signed up to receive this monthly update, please sign up to join our mailing list at the top of our homepage.

In this issue:  read about upcoming fall events, mark your calendars for the 24th Annual Silha Lecture, sign up for a digital journalism skills course coming to Minnesota and read more about upcoming events!

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

Get the skills you need to thrive in journalism’s digital age: Master the basics of audio, video and other multimedia tools. We’ll teach you the key skills, as well as how to navigate ethical pressure points in emerging platforms. Most importantly, we’ll explore how to change the way you think about storytelling and the role of independent journalism in the service of democracy. More »

An interesting piece in the on-going conversation about the coverage of health care-related issues was published in the August 17 issue of The Nation.

Reporters Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum explore the disappearance of science reporters from the nation’s newsrooms.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Watch video and view photos from our June forum on the news coverage of health care.

We found this advertisement after dusting off a few boxes in the News Council office — and there are plenty more where that came from! This particular cartoon was done for the News Council by Richard Guindon.

We’ll post more as we find them!

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, with speaker Don Gemberling, present the upcoming COGI-tations public forum Tuesday, August 4, 2009 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their government information horror stories for analysis and feedback.

More »

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted in 1966 and generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. All agencies of the Executive Branch of the United States Government are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except those records (or portions of them) that are protected from disclosure by the nine exemptions and three exclusions of the FOIA. The right of access is enforceable in court, and it is supported at the administrative agency level by the “citizen-centered and results-oriented approach” of a presidential executive order.

Source: Department of Justice Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide

Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI)

MN COGI Blog

Open Government Guide – Minnesota Outline

Minnesota on WikiFOIA

Minnesota Statutes – Open Meeting Law

American Society of Access Professionals

Public Citizen’s Freedom of Information Clearinghouse

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

How FOIA Works

FOIA Letter Generator

Sample FOIA Letters

Effective FOIA Requesting for Everyone

How to File a FOIA/Privacy Act Request – Office of the Inspector General