[MNASIS-L] Freedom of Information awards 2008

[Janet Arth]

Freedom of Information Award Recognizes Bridge Collapse Coverage, Pro 
se Legal Services

The people's right to know assumes a vast network of agencies and 
individuals committed to affirmation of that right.  Recipients of 
the 2008 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award reflect the 
many facets of information access.  The Minnesota Coalition on 
Government Information (MnCOGI) <http://www.mncogi.org/foi08.html> 
will present this year's awards as a highlight of Freedom of 
Information and the kickoff of Sunshine Week 2008 
<http://www.sunshineweek.org/>.

By any measure, the collapse of the 35W Bridge is the story of 2007 - 
covered by every news medium from every journalistic 
angle.  Recipients of the FOI Award include several investigative 
journalists including Associated Press staffers Martiga Lohn and 
Brian Bakst and Star Tribune reporters Dan Browning, Kevin Diaz, 
Patrick Doyle, Mike Kaszuba and Paul McEnroe.  All of these 
journalists have enhanced public understanding of the tragedy through 
their explicit use of the Freedom of Information Act 
<http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/foia.html> and the Minnesota Data 
Practices Act <https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=13> 
to gain access to public information.

The Coalition will also confer two Honorable Mention Awards.  An 
Honorable Mention Award will be given to Susan Albright, former 
Editorial Page Editor at the Star Tribune. Albright, now with 
<http://www.minnpost.org/> MinnPost, is recognized for her articulate 
appreciation of the dependence of a free press on access to 
government information and for her consistent editorial support of 
the principles of open government.

Recipients of the second Honorable Mention Award are Susan Ledray and 
Katrina Zabinski, coordinators of the innovative "Self Help Center" 
(SHC) in Minnesota's Fourth Judicial District.  As designers of the 
SHC Ledray and Zabinski explicitly used government information to 
both define and meet the needs of a targeted population.  The 
nomination document notes that the SHC serves "thousands of pro se 
litigants in Minnesota to move through court more efficiently, more 
effectively and more informed." In the words of Judge Edward Lynch, 
the SHC "provides information, resources and assistance to thousands 
of litigants representing themselves in court proceedings." The Self 
Help Center is now available in all Minnesota counties.

Awards will be presented at Freedom of Information Day ceremonies on 
Friday, March 14, Noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 
Pohlad Auditorium.  The awards presentation is free and open to the public.

Keynote speaker for the event is Jane Kirtley, Director of the Silha 
Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of 
Minnesota.  Kirtley is an internationally-known expert and lecturer 
on issues of media law and freedom of information. Prior to joining 
the U of M School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 
1999,  Kirtley was the Executive Director of the Reporters Committee 
for Freedom of the Press and a columnist for American Journalism 
Review.  Her presentation is entitled "The Light at the End of the 
Tunnel: The Outlook for FOI."

John R. Finnegan, Sr., for whom the award is named, is a Minnesota 
journalist and renowned defender of the First Amendment and the role 
of informed citizens in a democracy.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is a nonprofit 
501(c)(3) corporation representing individuals and organizations 
committed to open access to public information in print, electronic 
and digital formats.  The Coalition involves media representatives, 
attorneys, librarians, computer professionals, state and local 
government officials, educators and others who care about 
transparency in government, information access and the role of an 
informed citizenry in a democracy.

#  #  #
Contact:
Mary Treacy
Minnesota Coalition on Government Information
mncogi at gmail.com    http://www.mncogi.org