Fellow student journalists at Ohio University are experiencing some trouble with their Board of Trustees and obtaining public records.
Evan, OU Society of Professional Journalists president, has posted on the chapters' blog about the problem they are having with C. Daniel Delawder, board chairman.
The blog entry states:
"To use Mr. Delawder’s own words, this is a very sore subject for me, and perhaps it is time we start pushing back. And I am quite serious. Should this asinine policy be implemented by the OU Board of Trustees, SPJ will certainly push back – just like it has done for the past 100 years in order to protect the nature and rights of people and journalists across the nation. The Board needs to live up to its creed of account ability to its constituencies and hiding public records is quite counterproductive."
I recommend everyone read the article and extend a helping hand to our peers. This may not be happening on our campus right now, but if we ever needed help, certainly they would do the same for us. We are all journalists fighting the same fight for the right to report the truth. The laws - Ohio Open Records Law, an extension of the Freedom of Information Act - that grant access to public records are imperative to journalists in reporting all of the necessary information.
And, because the mission of the Society of Professional Journalists is to improve and protect journalism, it's time we step up to do just that.
Visit the OU SPJ blog here. Let them know you're behind them and that, as journalists, as students at a public university, you won't tolerate the blatant disregard for the law.
1 comment:
Thank you all so much for your support in this. We will update you as we move through this week and develop a plan of action. Thanks again!
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