David Michael Miller
In July 2015, Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers tried to pull a fast one. The Legislature’s budget writing committee recommended sweeping changes to Wisconsin’s open records laws. Authored anonymously, the measure limited public access to draft legislation and lawmakers’ communications and exempted the governor’s office, state agencies and local governments from having to disclose certain records.
Dee J. Hall, secretary of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and managing editor of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, says the attempt to “eviscerate the law” hit a political third rail. The council helped get the word out and Republican leaders backed away from the proposal just two days after it was made public.
“I later took a look at some of the emails sent to lawmakers about this and there wasn’t one person saying this was a good idea,” Hall says. “It was just so universally unpopular. I do think that speaks to the public’s support for transparency.”
The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. It was founded on Oct. 31, 1978, by 21 Wisconsin journalists seeking to protect and promote access to public records and public meetings as well as informing the public about media censorship. The organization has around two dozen members representing newspapers, broadcasters as well as nonpartisan and partisan watchdog groups.
The council is celebrating with a 3 p.m. reception in the Assembly Parlor on Oct. 30. The event will feature speakers, cake and the unveiling of open government artwork and the council’s new logo.
Bill Lueders, who was recently named editor of The Progressive magazine, has served as the council’s president since 2004. He says the group is “as essential as ever.”
“Most public officials understand the importance of the open records and open meetings laws,” says Lueders, a former Isthmus news editor and an ongoing contributor. “But it pains me to say, there are some players in the Legislature and elsewhere, who really do want to clamp down on what the public can see about what they are doing behind closed doors.”
Lueders says the council — whose work is done by volunteers, many of whom are full-time journalists — has four main responsibilities: tracking legislation; advising on public policy; keeping tabs and intervening on court decisions and cases; and educating the public.
This year, the council surveyed 204 political candidates about open government issues. The group is working with the Wisconsin Legislative Council on crafting legislation regarding police body cameras. The council has supported an ongoing open records lawsuit in Racine County and protested a judge sealing the records about the case. It’s also sounded the alarm about UW-Madison’s attempts to keep university research records secret.
Each week, Lueders usually fields at least three or four questions from journalists or citizens. “We have relatively strong laws in this area.” Lueders says. “But it requires vigilance and it’s always being tested.”
Hall says examining public records is “crucial to nearly every story we do at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.”
“The media are a check on power,” says Hall. “One of the biggest weapons we have is being able to see what’s really happening behind the scenes.”
Editor's note: This article originally stated the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council was founded in 1973. It was founded in 1978.
