SPJ Seeks FOI Views of State, Local Candidates
Society of Professional Journalists Teams Up with Freedom of Information Coalition, American Society of Newspaper Editors
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/29/2007 10:07:00 AM
The Society of Professional Journalists is hoping to force freedom-of-information issues onto the campaign agendas of state and local candidates.
The SPJ's Sunshine Network, which monitors FOI issues at the state level, plans to help journalists pin political candidates down on their views about FOI laws.
With the help of the Freedom of Information Coalition, the SPJ will enlist volunteers to identify problems with those laws, come up with three to five questions, then encourage reporters to put those questions to candidates and get their responses on the record.
As part of a broader campaign the SPJ is already working with the American Society of Newspaper Editors to develop a database of federal candidates' positions on FOI issues, collecting video clips and posting questions to ask the candidates on its Web site, but this will take it to the local level.
“Better we all know how candidates stand on freedom of information before they are elected, not after,” SPJ FOI committee chairman David Cuillier said in announcing the project.
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