Public Records Officers' Perspectives on Transparency and Journalism

Public records officers are often the first point of contact for citizens and journalists requesting public records through state and federal sunshine laws. Very little research has explored the opinions of public records officers about the process of open records requests, particularly in the context of journalism. Adopting a theoretical framework synthesizing the sociology of law with journalistic discursive institutionalism, this study applies an exploratory survey to better understand this aspect of the open government process. Findings suggest that public records officers exhibit a high level of paternalism, challenging journalists’ foundational discursive role as government watchdogs. These findings offer guidance for journalists and public records officers on how to better cooperate with each other in the transparency process.

Is the Sun Shining? A Qualitative Study on the Presence of Sunshine Laws in the College and University Journalism Curriculum

This case study focusing on journalism curriculum in Tennessee sheds light on the obstacles that journalism schools face in efforts to include more instruction of sunshine laws into courses. Journalists use these laws to gather information to write their stories, either by attending public meetings or by filing open records requests. This study identified three issues—curriculum structure, faculty background, and ongoing sunshine law developments—as emergent themes that may pose similar concerns for journalism educators elsewhere. Pedagogical recommendations also are offered.

State Law, Policy, and Access to Information: The Case of Mandated Openness in Higher Education

Background/Context Every state in the nation has legal requirements, state “sunshine laws,” to ensure accountability and fairness in institutions receiving state funds and operating under state authority. These laws have come to significantly influence the ways in which the business of higher education is conducted. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This reflective essay provides perspective on laws mandating openness in higher education. It describes differences in the laws across states, reports select findings from a study on the impacts of the laws on public colleges and universities, and examines some of the implications of the contemporary debate over access to information on public campuses. Research Design The article builds on a previous field study of state sunshine laws that included site visits to six states and interviews with nearly 100 officials with firsthand perspective on the laws. Conclusions/Recommendations Information resources have expanded tremendously, yet the nature and extent of their availability to the larger public remain in question. How can deeply held values of openness and access be accommodated productively to privacy and security concerns, with minimal threats to each? The article seeks to contribute to a growing body of literature on information policy and its uses in society—in this case, how the public information laws of state governments influence the climate of data access and decision-making in public higher education.