Members of the public, the media, local and state government, and University of Iowa officials will participate in a day of special events dealing with a free press and open government Thursday, Oct. 3 on the UI campus.
The first event is a meeting of the new Iowa Public Information Board at 10 a.m. in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol. The board, created by the Iowa Legislature, became operational in July of this year and exists to help inform the public, local governments, and the media about issues related to Iowa’s Open Records and Open Meetings Laws and to provide enforcement of those laws.
At 1 p.m., the Iowa Freedom of Information Council (IFOIC) will hold its annual meeting in the Iowa Theater located in the Iowa Memorial Union. For decades, the IFOIC—a coalition of journalists, librarians, educators, lawyers, and other Iowans—has been the chief advocate for protecting access to open meetings and open records in the state. It has also spearheaded related projects such as allowing cameras in the courtroom.
At 2 p.m., there will be a two-session symposium co-sponsored by the UI and the Iowa Public Information Board moderated by state Sen. Liz Mathis of Cedar Rapids. From 2 to 3 p.m. the symposium will focus on “Transparency at the University of Iowa.” Leading the discussion will be Annette Schulte, editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and Mark Braun, UI vice president for external relations and chief of staff for UI President Sally Mason. Access to public information has been in the news at all of the regents institutions in the past year and the regents recently adopted a set of recommendations from a special Transparency Task Force.
From 3-4 p.m. a panel will discuss “Transparency in the Digital Age.” The Iowa Open Meetings and Open Records Laws were written decades before widespread use of the Internet and social media. The panel will discuss how this new technology has impacted the ability of Iowans to know about the activities of their elected officials. Panelists will include: UI law professor Arthur Bonfield; UI student Kristen East; Zack Kucharski of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and UI journalism associate professor Stephen Berry.
The day will wrap up with a 5:30 p.m. reception and 6:30 p.m. banquet in the West Ballroom of the Clarion Hotel Highlander Conference Center presented by the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism featuring guest speaker Andy Hall of WisconsinWatch.org and several special recognition awards.
Tickets to the banquet are $50. All other events are open to the public at no charge.
People planning to attend are urged to register to enable the presenting organizations to properly prepare for the day.
To register, visit here.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this summit or the celebration, contact Mark Braun at mark-braun@uiowa.edu.