February 23, 2016

Contact: Mark Pitsch, (608) 252-6145; Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712

Open Government Advocates to Take Show on the Road

Advocates of open government in Wisconsin are planning a three-day, eight-city informational tour to highlight the importance of the state’s open records law, in the wake of unprecedented attacks from state lawmakers and others.

“An open society depends on open government. Wisconsin residents understand that,” says Mark Pitsch, president of the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and an assistant city editor at the Wisconsin State Journal. “Last summer’s attempt to gut the records law is just one of several recent examples of official disregard for the public’s right to know. It’s time for education and vigilance.”

The “Open Government Traveling Show” will take place from Tuesday, March 15, through Thursday, March 17, as part of national Sunshine Week, the annual “celebration of access to public information.”

The events—free and open to the public—are aimed at helping Wisconsin residents understand the open records law and how to use it. Each 90-minute presentation will feature a tutorial on the records law and examples of its use by journalists and advocates.

Participants will include representatives of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, the Center for Media and Democracy, the MacIver Institute for Public Policy and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

The tour is also supported by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Each stop has its own local sponsor.

The traveling show will take place in the following locations:

La Crosse: March 15, 2 p.m. La Crosse Public Library. Local sponsor: La Crosse Tribune.

Eau Claire: March 15, 7 p.m. Centennial Hall, Room 1614, UW-Eau Claire. Local sponsor: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, UW-Eau Claire chapter, Society of Professional Journalists

Wausau: March 16, 10 a.m. Marathon County Public Library. Local sponsor: Wausau Daily Herald-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Green Bay: March 16, 2 p.m. Green Bay Public Library. Local Sponsor: Green Bay Press-Gazette-USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN

Appleton: March 16, 7:30 p.m. Appleton Public Library. Local sponsor: Appleton Post-Crescent-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Sheboygan: March 17, 10 a.m. Sheboygan Public Library. Local sponsor: Sheboygan Press-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Waukesha: March 17, 2 p.m, Waukesha Public Library. Local sponsor: Schott, Bublitz and Engel S.C.

Janesville: March 17, 7 p.m. Blackhawk Technical College. Local sponsor: Janesville Gazette

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The award is a highlight of the third annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, presented jointly on Wednesday, April 24, by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“The Open Records Law which Lynn Adelman introduced and worked hard to pass, and the Open Meetings Law he championed, are the bedrock documents of open government in Wisconsin,” said Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.

“All those who care about the state’s traditions of openness and its commitment to an informed electorate, so essential to a representative democracy, owe him a huge debt a gratitude.”

Adelman was born in Milwaukee. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School.

In 1977, Adelman was elected to the state Senate to represent the 28th District in southeastern Wisconsin. He held the position for 20 years.

Adelman was the principal sponsor of the current version of the state’s Open Records Law, passed in 1981, and a major participant in a 1983 revision of the Open Meetings Law.

Adelman, 73, was appointed in 1997 by President Bill Clinton as a judge in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Watchdog Awards, a celebration of investigative reporting and open government, also will feature a keynote address by Lea Thompson, an award-winning investigative journalist and University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate.

Thompson, a Wisconsin native, was a chief correspondent at Dateline NBC for 16 years, and is known for her hard-hitting investigative pieces on consumer, health and safety issues. She now teaches investigative reporting around the world and produces documentaries.

Also at the event, winners of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council’s annual Opee Awards will be recognized for their work promoting open government, and the Madison SPJ chapter will review the year in journalism.

The event at the Madison Club, 5 E. Wilson St., is sponsored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WISC-TV and the law firm McGillivray Westerberg and Bender.

Additional sponsors are being sought. Information is available at wisconsinwatch.org.

The evening will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6. Tickets are available for $55.

Register online at wisconsinwatch.org. Attendance is limited to 120 and organizers expect all tickets will be sold.

A vital democracy requires government transparency and a vigilant press. To that end, the Wisconsin Open Records and Open Meetings laws provide avenues for the media and citizens to serve as watchdogs on government operations. To help you understand your rights under these laws in order to better inform your readers and viewers, the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is hosting a day-long training session on government transparency.

“Open Records, Open Meetings: Holding Government Accountable,” will be held Friday, Nov. 30 in Madison. The session, in the Capital Newspapers auditorium, 1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, will begin at 10 am and conclude at 3:15 pm, with registration beginning at 9:30 am. It is free for SPJ members or for $30 for non-members

Lunch will be provided with the generous support of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Two complimentary registrations are available for WBA and WNA members on a first come, first served basis.

The SPJ Open Records, Open Meetings training lineup includes some of the state’s top experts in the field. The program is:

10:00 am: Welcome

10:10-11:15 am: Wisconsin’s Open Records Law: Everything you need to know about the law, including the elements of a properly written records request, tips on avoiding excessive costs and answers to your questions. With:

Bill Lueders, president, Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council

Mary Burke, assistant attorney general, Wisconsin Department of Justice

11:15-12:15 pm: Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law: Everything you need to know about the law, including what constitutes a government body, grounds upon which a government body can close a meeting, your rights to videotape and record meetings and answers to your questions. With:

Christa Westerberg, lawyer, McGillivray, Westerberg and Bender, Madison

Bruce Olsen, assistant attorney general, Wisconsin Department of Justice

12:15-1:00 pm: Lunch/Networking

1:00-2:00 pm: Using the Open Records Law: What are the practical impacts for journalists and citizens using the records law? With:

Patrick Marley, State Capitol reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Dee J. Hall, State Capitol and investigative reporter, Wisconsin State Journal

2:00-3:00 pm: Custodians Respond: Receiving, reviewing and responding to records requests can be difficult and daunting. In understanding governments’ position on the records law, journalists will be better positioned to apply the law themselves. This diverse group of custodians – with representation from the local and state level — can also discuss open meetings. With:

Jennifer Sloan Lattis, senior system legal counsel, University of Wisconsin System

Bill Cosh, spokesman, state Department of Natural Resources

Jina Jonen, in-house counsel/human resources director, Oregon School District

3:00-3:15 pm: Final thoughts and wrap up

To register, SPJ members should contact Mark Pitsch, SPJ Madison chapter president, at [email protected] or 608-252-6145. Journalists who are not SPJ members should register at https://www.eventbrite.com/event/4750186937.

Journalists can also join the Madison chapter of SPJ for $75 annually and attend the Open Records/Open Meetings training and future training opportunities for free. Go to https://www.spj.org/whyjoin.asp to become a member. College and high school journalists can apply to SPJ for complimentary registration. On-site registration may be available depending upon advance registrations.

Capital Newspapers does NOT have universal wireless access. Attendees may want to consider bringing a wireless air card or hot spot.

If you have questions, please contact Mark Pitsch at 608-252-6145.

The panel — George Stanley, managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; John Smalley, editor of the Wisconsin State Journal; Bill Lueders, Money and Politics project director at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and Kathleen Culver, professor at the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communications — discussed whether journalists should be able to sign gubernatorial recall petitions and other ethical issues surrounding the recall of Gov. Scott Walker. The panel was sponsored by the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

To access the audio and video, go here.

“Journalism Ethics in the Time of Recall” will feature Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor Martin Kaiser, Wisconsin State Journal editor John Smalley, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism reporter Bill Lueders and Katy Culver of the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It will be held in Room B1A of the Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St., on the UW-Madison campus. The forum will begin at 7 pm and conclude at 8:30 pm.

The discussion will come less than one week before Wisconsin voters go to the polls in a historic gubernatorial recall election. It concerns the public debate over whether journalists should be able to sign petitions to recall the governor or other public officials. Reverberations over the debate continue as young journalists seek jobs and internships and news organizations determine whether certain sources can be used in stories.

The panel will explore the following questions, among others:

* Should journalists sign recall petitions?

* Should students who have signed recall petitions be denied internships or employment with news organizations? Should signers be prevented from doing certain work at news organizations?

* Is signing a recall petition the same as voting? Is it the same as making a political contribution, placing a sign in your yard, signing a petition on a public policy issue?

* Should journalists refrain from public political acts?

* What are journalism professors teaching students about this ethics debate and the general issue of taking a public position on a public policy or political matter?

* Should expert sources who signed the recall be used in news stories, and if so should their position on the recall be identified?

The event is free and open to the public. Journalists especially are encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Mark Pitsch, Madison pro chapter president, 608-252-6145.

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