WBA NewsroomThe latest of the ongoing attempts to keep the people of Wisconsin from knowing what their state government is doing is the move by the State Public Records Board to decide that text messages are “transitory communications”, and as such, are not subject to the state’s Open Records law. As a reporter, you may know that this is an appointed, not an elected board, which itself failed to give required notice of the August 24th meeting where this “decision” was made behind closed doors and with no notice or publication.
It is common knowledge that a lot of business is conducted today by text message, and that the intent of the 1981 rewrite of our state’s Open Records law was clear, back then when text messaging hadn’t even been invented. Here’s an editorial from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel regarding this latest assault on openness, well worth your time to read.
And, for a quick tutorial on Wisconsin’s landmark Open Records Law, refer to this section of the WBA Newsroom.
Posted by Tim Morrissey