Tuesday, January 01, 2002

A quick guide to important Internet resources related to open government and the public's right to know.

The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan foundation whose mission is to work toward all aspects of a free press and free speech -- and all of the First Amendment freedoms. The First Amendment Center, a project of the Freedom Forum, works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. The Web site offers a wealth of information and news about First Amendment issues, including "research packages" that review important Supreme Court cases dealing with the First Amendment.

Go to: www.freedomforum.org

Here are more useful informational sites concerning the public's right to know:

www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/

American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom works to implement ALA policies on intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the association's basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.

www.illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.org

Nonprofit division of Illinois Press Association providing news, court cases on First Amendment issues. Includes section for students.

http://w3.trib.com/FACT/

FACT, the First Amendment Cyber-Tribune, is one of the pioneer First Amendment sites in the nation. According to its creators, it's a "resource for anyone wanting to learn about the First Amendment," providing "information on all the liberties guaranteed by the amendment."

www.lwv.org

Read about the League of Women Voters and their efforts through their Citizens Right to Know project.

www.pa-newspaper.org/legislative/index.htm

Information about current proposed and approved legislation related to open records and open meetings, compiled by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

www.rcfp.org/handbook/viewpage.cgi?0902

Learn about how to obtain public records from the federal government on this Web site sponsored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

www.rcfp.org/tapping

View the newly updated edition of Tapping Officials' Secrets, a guide to open records and meetings in all 50 states & D.C., from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

www.ethics.state.pa.us

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Ethics Commission requires a variety of disclosures by public officials, both elected and non-elected, which are on the public record. This site pro9vides an overview of the state disclosure requirements, what officials must file and how to obtain copies of disclosures for review. The commission also registers and tracks lobbyists and lobbying activity.

http://www.rcfp.org/homefrontconfidential/

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has released a report called Homefront Confidential: How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know, showing how events following Sept. 11 restrict access to public information. The report has recently been updated with color-coded threat levels, a play on the terrorism alerts. But these levels show the threat to public and press access to information and war coverage.

www.nfoic.org/freedom.html

www.ascd.org

www.fac.org

www.splc.org

Teachers can obtain information and curriculum materials and ideas on the First Amendment from the Web sites of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, the Association for Curriculum and Development, the First Amendment Center and the Student Press Law Center.

www.mypublicnotices.com

Do you want to attend and observe a public meeting about a neighborhood problem? Do you want to voice your opinion about a proposal to build a new subdivision in your township? Get some help by looking at public notice advertisements in local newspapers.

http://firstgov.gov/

This site is run by the U.S. General Services Administration and is designed to be the first Web site -- or portal -- you use to access federal government sites. Use it to file for Social Security benefits, apply for a student loan, find a government job, get income tax info., etc.

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/

The University of Michigan Documents Center is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news.

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