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public’s right to know

Supreme Court ruling on employer montoring of e-mail messages leaves intact right of public’s right to know

donal brown June 21, 2010

While ruling that  an Ontario police department armed with a legitimate purpose had the right to inspect an officer’s text messages, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the pubic’s right to know under the California Public Records Act. The Court said that police officers should realize their writings may be subject to public viewing. -db Washington Post June 18, 2010 By Robert Barnes A hesitant Supreme Court waded cautiously into a question that arises daily in workplaces

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Federal court allows New York police to keep convention surveillance records secret

donal brown June 10, 2010

The New York City Police Department won a victory as the 2nd Circuit panel ruled that it did not have to release police surveillance records gathered before the 2004 Republican National Convention. The panel found in this case that police privilege trumped the public’s right to know. -db Courthouse News Service June 9, 2010 By Nick Divito (CN) – New York City can keep secret 1,800 pages of undercover police surveillance records gathered in the

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Cleveland newspaper causes stir by unmasking anonymous poster – a judge

donal brown March 29, 2010

In revealing the identity of a person posting comments on their site under the moniker “lawmiss”, the Cleveland Plain Dealer believed that the public’s right to know outweighed the importance of protecting the privacy of anonymous commentators. The “lawmiss” postings, it turned out, came from the e-mail address of a judge. -db The Plain Dealer March 26, 2010 By Henry J. Gomez CLEVELAND, Ohio — By unmasking an anonymous poster at its companion Web site,

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Provision of health care reform requires drug companies to report payments to doctors

donal brown March 25, 2010

A provision of the national health care law passed last week allows the public to know the gifts and payments made to doctors and teaching hospitals by pharmaceutical companies. -db California Watch Commentary March 24, 2010 By Christina Jewett A little-noticed provision in the health reform bill will shed significant light on the payments drug and device companies make to doctors and teaching hospitals in California and the rest of the nation. The section of

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Federal Court rejects argument that mug shot of securities fraud suspect is public record

donal brown December 17, 2009

A Florida federal court rejected the Freedom of Information Act request of a freelance journalist for a prisoner’s mug shot ruling that the man’s privacy was more important than the public’s interest in seeing the photo. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press December 16, 2009 By Amanda Becker A federal court in south Florida told a freelance journalist that his request for the mug shot of a securities fraud mastermind will go

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