Monthly Archives: June 2017

Official Statement of the Wisconsin Elections Commission Regarding Voter Information Request

Here is the news release from the Elections Commission:

Statement on Federal Request for Wisconsin Voter Information

Date:

June 30, 2017

MADISON, WI – Michael Haas, administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), issued the following statement today regarding the request by the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity for states to provide voter registration and history files:

“By law, most of the information in Wisconsin’s voter registration system is public and is available for purchase, and is commonly purchased by political parties, candidates, researchers and other organizations.  A voter’s name, address and voting history are public, and this information has already been provided to campaigns and other requestors who have paid for it.  Wisconsin does not collect any information about a voter’s political preference or gender.

“Wisconsin statutes do not permit the state to release a voter’s date of birth, driver license number or Social Security number.  State statutes permit the WEC to share confidential information in limited circumstances with law enforcement agencies or agencies of other states.  The Presidential Commission does not appear to qualify under either of these categories.

“The WEC does not have the discretion to deny a request for the public information in the voter registration database if the required fee is paid.  By administrative rule, the price is $12,500 for the entire statewide voter file, and Wisconsin law does not contain any provision for waiving the fee for voter data.”

 

 

For more information, contact:

Reid Magney, 608-267-7887, reid.magney@wi.gov

Posted by Tim Morrissey

A Victory For Open Government In Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association supported the lawsuit against the Appleton School District, which claimed the district held committee meetings in secret, and in so doing violated the state’s Open Meetings law. The district argued that the committee was exempt from the law.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the school board committee is subject to the state’s Open Meetings law and cannot hold secret meetings.

Wisconsin has very powerful laws about Open Government and Open Meetings. Every reporter should be familiar with these laws. There is a special section of the WBA Newsroom site devoted to the Open Meetings and Open Records law. You’ll find it here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

 

What Do You Have To Do To Get Kicked Off Twitter?

The President’s latest Tweet-storm this morning, attacking CNBC’s Mika Brzezinski for her disparaging comments regarding him on “Morning Joe” generated a significant number of demands that Twitter suspend or shut down Trump’s account.

That’s not likely going to happen, but Twitter won’t say exactly what its rules are.

Many journalists use Twitter as their go-to social media platform. CNN put together a piece about this morning’s Tweet-storm and tried to get a clear outline of what Twitter’s rules are.

Read it here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

Wisconsin Broadcasters Swing Into Action To Cover Severe Weather

From one end of the state to the other, there was severe weather yesterday, and in every locale, in every market, Wisconsin’s broadcast news teams put out warnings, alerted their audiences, covered the events live, and kept people safe and informed.

That’s why articles like this one, from Huffington Post, point out the importance of local TV and radio in disaster plans for families and businesses.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

The Future Of Small-Market TV News?

If you work in TV news, take a moment to read this article (link below). Your first reaction may be “that’ll never happen HERE”, but consider what’s happened to radio news in the past decade.

When the economy went bust in 2008, scores of radio broadcasting companies cut their news staffs, and then, a few years later, abandoned local news coverage. Some of the largest radio group owners consolidated news operations into hubs that served several markets. It happened in Wisconsin years ago.

The author of the article points out that that “hub” concept is already operating for “local” TV news.

Read about it here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

Today Is Trump-Free Tuesday

Salon is trying it. The publication will neither use his name nor his photo today.

What little they’re saying about their rationale is here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey