FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 28, 2005

CONTACT:
Kathleen Richardson, Executive Secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, (515) 271-2295 or kathleen.richardson@drake.edu

PROGRAM AT DRAKE TO EXAMINE 'CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM'

The Iowa Freedom of Information Council will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Expanded Media Coverage — “cameras in the courtroom” in Iowa — with a program Friday, Oct. 7, at Drake University.

In addition, two Iowans who took their fight against government secrecy to the state Supreme Court will be honored.
The Iowa FOI Council will host a program celebrating and examining Expanded Media Coverage of Iowa judicial proceedings, beginning at 1 p.m. in the courtroom at the Drake Legal Clinic, 2400 University Ave. The program is free and open to the public.
Speakers include Justice Jerry Larson of the Iowa Supreme Court; former Waterloo broadcast journalist Grant Price; Gerald Feuerhelm, representing the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association; Iowa State University journalism professor Barbara Mack, and J. Michael Downey, a Des Moines businessman and former Des Moines Register and Tribune attorney. Herb Strentz, emeritus professor of journalism at Drake and former executive secretary of the Iowa FOI Council, will moderate. A reception will follow the program.

Prior to the afternoon program, the council will host its annual meeting and luncheon, beginning at 11 a.m. at the University’s Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. The council will honor the three winners of this year’s Friend of the First Amendment award, which is given in memory of longtime Iowa journalist Harrison “Skip” Weber.

Mark Gannon of Ames and Arlen Nichols of Des Moines sued the Iowa State University Foundation to force the foundation, a fund-raising entity for ISU, to open its records to the public. Quoting Thomas Jefferson that “an informed citizenry is the bulwark of a democracy,” the Iowa Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that the foundation is covered by the state open records law and must open its financial records to the public.

Clark Kauffman, an investigative reporter for The Des Moines Register, will also be honored for his work this year, including a series on injustices in the handling of traffic tickets by public officials.

Reservations for lunch are $15 and can be made by calling (515) 271-2295 or e-mailing kathleen.richardson@drake.edu.

The Iowa Freedom of Information Council is a coalition of journalists, librarians, attorneys, educators and other citizens concerned about open government. The council is based in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University.

For more information, call the Iowa FOI Council at (515) 271-2295.

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