If you request paper records and a government custodian tries to charge you 25 cents per page, push back.
Category: Opinion
We welcome letters to the editor and guest columns.
When submitting an opinion piece, please include your name, title, address and daytime phone number. We request that your letter be brief, timely, respectful, focused, original and relevant to issues that we cover. Please let us know about anything that might be seen as a conflict of interest. Publication of letters to the editor, guest columns and other opinion material does not imply endorsement by Wisconsin Watch. Authors are solely responsible for the facts and views expressed in opinion material published by the Wisconsin Watch.
Please visit our public engagement page for more details on how to submit items for publication.
Opinion: Absentee ballots don’t give enough space for witness address
Frank Lowry writes that absentee ballots do not provide enough room for the witness to record their complete address.
Your Right to Know: Wisconsin AG candidates weigh in on transparency
Josh Kaul and Eric Toney are miles apart on many issues, but when it comes to open government, the candidates vying for Wisconsin attorney general in the Nov. 8 election agree: more money is needed to handle enforcement of the state’s transparency laws.
Your Right to Know: Outsiders can’t block records access
Wisconsin’s open records law is most often used by requesters seeking to obtain records from a government agency. But occasionally it works in reverse, allowing someone to block the release of records to a requester.
Your Right to Know: Court ruling kneecaps records law
In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that public records plaintiffs “prevail” only if a judge orders the records to be released. In cases where the public official gets sued and has a change of heart, as often happens, there is no longer a clear path to fee recovery.
Your Right to Know: When transparency is treated with contempt
Most of the time, public officials in Wisconsin obey the state’s openness laws. Sometimes, they need a little prodding from the courts. But the recent conduct of Robin Vos and Michael Gableman is something altogether new, and deeply disturbing.
Opinion: Former Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office employee to county leaders — Stop political ‘damage control,’ investigate ‘toxic’ work environment
Kurt Karbusicky, a longtime Dane County death investigator, says the medical examiner’s office is plagued by bullying and mismanagement.
Your Right to Know: Judge was wrong to bar recordings of trial
Cameras in the courtroom can be helpful in promoting trust and confidence in the judicial process.
Your Right to Know: Ask lawmakers for the records they delete
If a legislator deletes an email, is it truly gone? Not necessarily.
Your Right to Know: Pull the plug on shadowy business courts
Anyone who doubts that secrecy in government breeds poor public policy should take a look at the Business Court Pilot Project launched by our Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Your Right to Know: Local news deserves a break today
In recent years, the news business in Wisconsin has seen a lot of bad news. Dozens of newspapers have closed. Revenues are way down. Staffs are being trimmed. And “vulture” hedge funds are circling, threatening to pick clean the bones of this once robust industry.
Opinion: Alaska’s children deserve better
A former Alaska CARES employee speaks out against the actions of Dr. Barbara Knox.