States trying to block access to public records
The fact that this is happening across the country sure makes it seem like a coordinated effort....
https://apnews.com/f85d54cc952d4dc58ed0eff7eadb3bbd/Across-US,-lawmakers-chip-away-at-public's-access-to-records?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
"February, Arkansas lawmakers marked the 50-year anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act with a resolution calling it “a shining example of open government” that had ensured access to vital public records for generations.
They spent the following weeks debating and, in many cases approving, new exemptions to the law in what critics called an unprecedented attack on the public’s right to know.
When they were finished, universities could keep secret all information related to their police forces, including their size and the names and salaries of officers. Public schools could shield a host of facts related to security, including the identities of teachers carrying concealed weapons and emergency response plans. And state Capitol police could withhold anything they believed could be “detrimental to public safety” if made public.
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Lawmakers across the country introduced and debated dozens of bills during this year’s legislative sessions that would close or limit public access to a wide range of government records and meetings, according to a review by The Associated Press and numerous state press associations."
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