Comments on: Electronic documents are public records, court rules

By: ldonyo

ldonyo — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:15:59 +0000

Excellent news! The best part is that this ruling can be used in other states to support the release of metadata with public records there, as well.

By: Mark B. Evans

Mark B. Evans — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:31:55 +0000

Arizona Republic reporter Robert Anglen posted a blog about the decision this afternoon in which he describes how the city of Phoenix has refused to provide electronic records for years. The Right to Know in Arizona is better off today than it was yesterday.

By: Mark B. Evans

Mark B. Evans — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:18:25 +0000

That wasn’t a records ruling, which is all I was talking about.
An example of the importance of this ruling: A few years ago UA J-school students in a computer assisted reporting class requested from the UA its payroll database. It wanted it as an electronic database. The UA rejected the request and said it would only provide the database as printed records – thousands of pages of lists of names, titles, departments and salaries. It said nothing in the state public records law required it to produce electronic versions of records.
The result of the denial is that in order for the payroll database to be of use to the public, the students would have had to manually enter the printed version into Excel or Access. A daunting task and a “chilling effect” on the public’s right to know, to be sure. (Full disclosure, the UA eventually did release its salary database in an electronic format to the Arizona Republic and Tucson Citizen a few years later, although those requests had nothing to do with the J-school request).
This ruling prevents denials like the one above. It also will serve as another check on government to determine if records have been altered or manipulated. A bill in the Legislature this past session that would have amended the state’s public records law to require public agencies to release records in their native format if so requested died in committee. The need for that law is mostly moot now.

By: tiponeill

tiponeill — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:25:27 +0000

It’s good news. As far as it’s importance goes I wouldn’t quite rank it up there with their decision that sending tax money to the Bishop’s schools is hunky dory, but … small steps