Georgia's right to know

Web posted December 12, 1999

 Have a thought? Go to the @ugusta Forums.
 Jefferson County sheriff's records difficult to obtain
 Agencies still in dark on sunshine laws

From Staff Reports

A quarter of a century after sunshine laws were enacted -- and near the conclusion of the first year in office for a governor who made them a big issue -- how much open government actually exists in Georgia?

A lot, in Georgia's cities, counties and universities -- except for the largest -- this first-ever survey shows.

Not enough in Georgia's law enforcement agencies and public schools, the survey indicates.

What are the prospects for all to improve in this critical area, their face-to-face relationships with their constituents seeking records the law flatly states are public?

Rather good, experts tell us.

Seventy-five employees of 11 Georgia newspapers and/or newspaper groups cooperated in this unprecedented effort in September to survey 316 agencies and write the enclosed seven-part series revealing what they learned.

The result, ``Georgia's Right to Know,'' is about how residents in the largest state east of the Mississippi get what they ask for -- or don't -- when they interact with their governments.

Participants in Georgia Open Government Survey:

Albany Herald
Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Augusta Chronicle
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Community Newspapers (north Georgia)
Gainesville Times
Macon Telegraph
Morgan County Citizen, Madison
Savannah Morning News
Thomson Newspapers (south Georgia)
Georgia First Amendment Foundation

How the project was funded:

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation received funding for this project through a grant from the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation and the Scripps Howard Foundation. The foundation also received funding for the project from the National Freedom of Information Coalition through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Established in 1950, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation makes national grants in journalism, education and arts and culture. Its fourth program, community initiatives, is concentrated in 26 communities where the Knight brothers published newspapers, but the foundation is wholly separate from and independent of those newspapers.

How to contact the Georgia First Amendment Foundation:

Hollie Manheimer
executive director
Georgia First Amendment Foundation
150 E. Ponce De Leon Ave., Suite 270
Decatur, GA 30030
Phone: (404) 525-3646
Fax: (404) 377-0486

Available on the Internet at http://www.mindspring.com/~gfaf/