2022 FOI Awards Announcement

February 13, 2022March 11, 2022 ~ mncogi

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI) 2022 Freedom of Information awards honor:

Brandon Stahl, A. J. Lagoe, Gary Knox & Steve Eckert for KARE 11 Investigates –“The Gap: Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect” ;
Leita Walker for coordinating a media coalition whose advocacy resulted in Minnesota’s first live-streamed criminal trial; and
James Barnum for his tireless devotion to and pursuit of keeping government records public for over three decades

The public is invited to a virtual award ceremony featuring a discussion with the recipients.

MNCOGI is pleased to announce recipients of this year’s John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award:

Brandon Stahl, A. J. Lagoe, Gary Knox and Steve Eckert devoted eight months to studying how lapses in mental health services played a role in a mass shooting and bombing in rural Minnesota. Their interviews, data collection and analysis resulted in the October 2021 broadcast of KARE 11 Investigates – “The Gap: Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect.” Prompted by the tragic killing and mass shooting at the rural health clinic by a mentally ill criminal, and attempting to account for its occurrence, Stahl, Lagoe, Knox and Eckert sought relevant health and judicial records of criminal defendants with mental illness. Their own analysis showed many are at large and receive no medical services. Now, just over a year after the mass shooting and four months after the broadcast of “The Gap: Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect,” the work by Stahl, Lagoe, Knox and Eckert demonstrates that records discovery and analysis can lead to greater public awareness and the proposal of a legislative remedy.

Leita Walker, First Amendment attorney, litigator and trial lawyer at Ballard Spahr, coordinated a media coalition that provided the judiciary with ample reason to allow cameras to record a criminal trial in Minnesota for the first time. Thanks to Walker’s efforts, the media coalition of over 35 national and international outlets worked with all parties throughout the trial: judge, prosecution and defense. The trial could hardly have been more historic – State of Minnesota vs. Derek Michael Chauvin. Coordinating media across such a wide spectrum – broadcast, radio, print with local, state, national and international audiences in mind – took knowledge of the law and the public’s need for public information to hold its government accountable for actions taken. Walker’s tactful and tireless efforts kept all parties informed and in agreement while maintaining respectful relationships with the judiciary.

MNCOGI is pleased to announce recipients of this year’s John R. Borger Lifetime Achievement Award:

James Barnum, Deputy General Counsel for Hubbard Broadcasting, has worked steadfastly for over three decades to provide legal support and advice enabling journalists to do their jobs in ensuring government transparency and holding officials accountable. Even as they encountered resistance seeking records in the face of emerging technologies (such as last century’s cell phones) and overcoming sympathetic parties who sought to close off investigatory files. Journalists could rely upon Barnum to support their efforts to obtain public records and protect the public’s right to know time and time again.

Online Award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 16^th, 7 pm.

Click Here to register in advance for this free webinar.

MNCOGI recognizes three outstanding FOI advocates

March 16, 2014November 14, 2016 ~ mncogi

Upon receiving the 2014 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award, Timberjay Newspapers publisher Marshall Helmberger said he’s gratified to know “Minnesotans still appreciate German-Norwegian stubbornness.”

Helmberger accepted the award Friday, March 14 at the annual Minnesota Coalition on Government Information FOI Day event in Minneapolis. Two pioneers for government transparency, Rodgers Adams and Robert Shaw, also received lifetime achievement awards.

MNCOGI honored Helmberger for his nearly three-year legal fight to uncover construction cost irregularities by the St. Louis County school district. The district and its contractor refused to disclose figures for a taxpayer-funded school construction project. Timberjay vs. Johnson Controls reached the Minnesota Supreme Court and prompted a legislative push to clarify how such contracts are structured.

“This fight is not over,” Helmberger said after receiving the award. He also praised First Amendment attorney Mark Anfinson for his pro bono work on the case that Helmberger credited for “leveling the playing field” for a small newspaper going up against a Fortune 500 company with a well-financed team of lawyers.

MNCOGI also recognized two contemporaries of John Finnegan for their work with the late St. Paul Pioneer Press publisher to enact the law establishing the presumption of openness for government documents in Minnesota.

Robert Shaw, former executive director of the Minnesota Newspaper Association, and Rodgers Adams, a former assistant editor at the Star Tribune were presented with lifetime achievement awards at the event.

Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson gave the keynote address at the ceremony. He quoted Mark Twain, folk singer John Prine and Star Tribune reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger to both praise and excoriate members of the press.

“I don’t love the press,” Anderson said. “I treasure your role and I respect you.”

Anderson is recognized as a proponent of government transparency, but spoke of instances where inaccurate news reports put him in uncomfortable positions, including questioning by the FBI.

Cameras in Courts: MN court committee keeps door open to expanded public access to courtrooms

October 2, 2013October 2, 2013 ~ mncogi

A court panel leaves open the possibility for a continuation of the current experimental rules allowing limited use of still and video camera access in the state’s courtrooms. A recommendation issued October 1 notes “the committee is not aware of any problems or complaints caused by the use of cameras or audio recording equipment in court proceedings” during a two-year pilot project scheduled to sunset at the end of this year. The court’s General Rules Committee is made up of judges and attorneys from various jurisdictions around the state. Read the full recommendation here. Minnesota Supreme Court justices will make the final decision.

The committee also touched on the possibility of expanding camera access to some criminal proceedings, but such a move will probably require a new round of scrutiny.

The report reflects concern by some members of the panel during their Sept. 20 meeting that they have very little information to go on since there were few media requests to bring cameras into courtrooms. At that meeting, WCCO news producer Joan Gilbertson talked about the difficulty of navigating the sometimes confusing process of the civil cases that organizations were limited to covering during the pilot project. She said the proceedings are readily postponed and often settled before the parties ever enter a courtroom. “I would like to court to step up and present (media organizations) with some cases they want covered,” Gilbertson said. WCCO aired more than a half dozen stories about civil cases during the pilot project highlighting the fact that it was the first time such access was available in Minnesota.

Minnesota is one of 12 states that effectively bar camera use in court proceedings. Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota all allow camera use by media organizations for both civil and criminal court cases.

Pictures and Video from the 2013 Finnegan Award

March 25, 2013March 25, 2013 ~ admin

MNCOGI’s 2013 Freedom of Information Day presentation

MNCOGI Chair Helen Burke and John R. Finnegan Jr.

John R. Finnegan Jr. presents the John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award to Michele Timmons.

MNCOGI’s 2013 Freedom of Information Day award

Michele Timmons accepts the John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award.

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Video from The UpTake

Chief Justice Magnuson Keynote at 21st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony

March 2, 2010 ~ admin

Freedom of Information advocates hear Chief Justice Magnuson, honor local newspaper editor Anfinson and promote open access

Event flyer

Chief Justice Eric J. Magnuson will deliver the keynote speech at the 21^st annual Freedom of Information Day Award Ceremony on Tuesday, March 16, Noon-1:00 at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Auditorium. Chief Justice Magnuson will explore the freedom of information implications of two significant processes with which he has been closely involved – the Minnesota Senate election recount and the ongoing debate surrounding the issue of cameras in the courtroom.

A highlight of the Freedom of Information Day event is presentation of the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Reed Anfinson, publisher and owner of the Swift County Monitor-News will receive the award which recognizes his commitment to transparency and open government at the local and national levels. Anfinson is on the Board of the National Newspaper Association; in 2012 he will assume the national presidency of the association. Finnegan, for whom the award was named two decades ago, will make the presentation. The Award is a testament to Finnegan’s lifetime commitment to a free press and a transparent government.

Open government advocates celebrate Freedom of Information Day each year on March 16, the birth date of James Madison. Often identified as the Father (or one of the fathers) of the Constitution, Madison is a hero of freedom of information proponents who are wont to quote Madison’s admonition that “a popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or perhaps both.”

Sponsors of Freedom of Information Day at the national and levels include a host of professional and advocacy organizations – journalists and newspaper editors, librarians, researchers and archivists, diverse nonprofit groups committed to open and accessible government, particularly in an era of economic, political and technological change. Freedom of Information Day is the highlight of Sunshine Week, an initiative of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Local sponsor of FOI is the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information. The event is free and open to the public.

For additional information about Freedom of Information Day, Sunshine Week, or the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information contact:

Mary Treacy, Executive Director

Minnesota Coalition on Government Information

mtreacy@onvoymail.com

612 781 4234 or 612 703 3290

Sunshine Week 2010 Webcast – Building Transparency

February 14, 2010 ~ admin

Friday, March 19, 2010

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CST

Participants in past Sunshine Week webcasts have expressed a preference for viewing/participating from their own office rather than gathering for a group view.

No registration required.

The link will be available 24 hrs. prior to the event at the SW event page.
http://www.openthegovernment.org/article/articleview/420/
Panelists include Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform; and Miriam Nisbet, Director of the Office of Government Information.

Reed Anfinson Receives John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award

February 12, 2010 ~ admin

February 8, 2010 — The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI) announced today that Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, will receive the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award. Anfinson will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day recognition event, on Tuesday, March 16, noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

Anfinson is a long-term journalist and advocate for access to government information at the local, state and national levels. He has testified frequently before both the Minnesota Legislature and the U.S. Congress on Freedom of Information and First Amendment issues.

Since 1994 he has co-chaired the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s legislative committee and currently chairs the National Newspaper Association Government Relations Committee. In 2012 Anfinson becomes President of the National Newspaper Association.

For the past 30 years Anfinson has been associated with the Swift County Monitor-News as a reporter, managing editor, and now publisher and owner. In this role he has published frequent editorials and articles on open government, including articles on the state’s Data Practices Act, open meeting regulations and discussions of the impact of video and digital technology on public access.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, a nonprofit corporation formed in 1989, is dedicated to ensuring access to government information and public records. MNCOGI provides public education programs, manages a website and blog, maintains links with other state coalitions and promotes public awareness of information policy issues. In June 2009 MNCOGI hosted the annual Summit of the National Freedom of Information Coalition in Minneapolis.

The Freedom of Information Award, established by the Coalition in 1989, is named for John R. Finnegan, Sr, retired senior vice president and assistant publisher of the St Paul Pioneer Press. Finnegan is founder and stalwart of the Minnesota Joint Media Committee which has consistently supported open records, open meetings and other First Amendment-related causes in the Legislature and other public arenas in Minnesota.

*** Podcast interview with Reed Anfinson about the importance of Freedom of Information (conducted by Renee McGivern) ***

The Freedom of Information Day event is free and open to the public.

Additional information on the MNCOGI website at www.mncogi.org or contact mtreacy@onvoymail.com or 612-781-4234.

MN COGI Wins Blog Award

September 19, 2009 ~ admin

MN COGI wins spot on Top 100 Freedom of Information Blogs from The Daily Reviewer!

Missed the weekend? Catch the action!

June 8, 2009 ~ admin

Extraordinary thanks are due to the staff of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and to our own transparency team at The Uptake for brilliant coverage of the NFOIC Summit held in Minneapolis this past weekend. The Summit concluded late Saturday. In nanoseconds the text summaries and videos were posted on the web.

Attached is a program for the conference that may help readers follow and link to the big picture. Following are the sessions summaries accompanied by great photos.

For those with a preference for video, we offer The Uptake take on the Summit. The Uptake livestreamed the Summit, thus reaching the many “regulars” whose budget cuts prevented travel to the City of Lakes. As always, there are some video glitches, but the audio is clear throughout. Keep checking TheUptake, too – there’s much more to come!

Many thanks to the several journalists, professional and citizen, who captured the moment. As one who spent a good portion of the Summit keep abreast of activities outside the sessions, I am particularly grateful for the virtual experience. After a Sunday of reading, viewing and listening, I feel as if I actually participated in the group experience. MT.

Freedom of Information Coalition Summit

May 15, 2009 ~ admin

Freedom of Information Coalition Summit
June 5-6
Minneapolis Marriott City Center

Friday at noon, we begin the conference with a luncheon and the ever-popular FOI Salon, followed that afternoon by two panels on Coalition Sustainability.

Saturday, we’ll have panels on FOI & Infrastructure, Financial Transparency, and FOI as Civic Education. At Saturday’s luncheon, for our keynote address we’re proud to present Paul Anger, vice president and editor of the Detroit Free Press.

For further information:
http://www.nfoic.org/2009-summit-schedule

** added update – students can now attend for free (if they forego lunch)