PA Freedom of Information Coalition

Also known as Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition
==Background==
* Started in March 2007
==Links==
* Open Government
===Media===
* Group forms in March 2007 - The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new group, the Pennsylvania
Freedom of Information Coalition, has been formed to
work for the right of Pennsylvania citizens to obtain
public information from local governments and the
state.
The founders are journalists, librarians, attorneys,
educators and community group leaders.
"Our coalition is intended to be just that — a
coalition of Pennsylvania citizens from all walks of
life, who share the belief that the best government is
an open one," said Gayle Sproul, an attorney chosen as
the group's first president.
"This is a coalition that aims to serve the average
citizen of our commonwealth and give each of us open
access to our government at all levels," said Sproul,
from the Philadelphia firm Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz.
The coalition said it has a lot of work, since
Pennsylvania has consistently been ranked one of the
states with weakest protections for access to
government records and open meetings.
Many records that are public in other states are kept
secret in Pennsylvania, including, for instance, the
reasons for the firing of public school employees and
the records of cell-phone calls made on taxpayer-paid
phones.
The group, which has been granted nonprofit tax
status, received $10,000 in startup funds from the
National Freedom of Information Coalition through a
grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
It also was awarded a $5,000 donation from the funds
of the former Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition,
a group formed by journalists in 1977 to fight for
freedom of the press.
The coalition will use the grants to build a Web site
and publish educational materials, a key mission being
to educate citizens, groups and government officials
about the importance of open government and how they
can use their rights to get public records. The group
also will help organizations or citizens who run into
difficulty obtaining public records.
The Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition is
accepting memberships, with annual dues ranging from
$25 for individuals to $1,000 for large businesses.
Members will receive a step-by-step "Citizen's Guide
to Access," legal advice on questions of public access
and updates on open-records legislation and legal
efforts.
In open-government cases of statewide importance, the
coalition plans to help citizens obtain legal
representation.
The group will also monitor proposed state and federal
laws, regulations and court decisions and provide
information to state officials to encourage discussion
of open government changes in Pennsylvania.
"To the extent allowed by our nonprofit status, we
support reforms affecting public records," Sproul
said. "There should be no shadowy corners in
government. We want to let the light in."
====Other members of the coalition board are:====
* Vice President Robert Richards of Penn State University's Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment; 
* Secretary, Donald Gilliland, managing editor of the Potter Leader-Enterprise in Coudersport; * treasurer Kim de Bourbon, a freelance journalist; 
* Cathi Alloway, public services director of the Dauphin County Library;
* Robert Clothier, an attorney with Fox Rothschild in Philadelphia; 
* Jim DePury, news director for WPMT-TV in central Pennsylvania; 
* Sally Hale, chief of the Pennsylvania bureau of The Associated Press; 
* Brian Lockman, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Cable Network; 
* Jim Parsons, reporter for WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, and 
* Ernest Schreiber, editor of the Lancaster New Era.
category:organizations
category:freedom