Broadcaster gives UF $100,000 to help celebrate, preserve freedom of information
By Boaz Dvir
Marion Brechner recently gave $100,000 to the University of Florida to help sustain the vision of her late husband Joseph, who fought for freedom of information as an Orlando TV executive.
"Joe is the reason I'm here," she said during a recent visit to the UF College of Journalism and Communications.
The College's Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project and the Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information will receive $50,000 each to set up a response vehicle to law-status inquiries and hold a 30th anniversary celebration, respectively.
The access project is creating FOI 911 - a Rapid Response Team. A graduate student will field requests for 50-state law-status updates from legislators, journalists, activists and attorneys.
"When small, resource-limited state groups promoting access to public documents are facing well financed lobby groups to close down public access to government records, they have no where to turn," said Bill Chamberlin, the project's director. "This will enable anyone with a major concern of protecting public access to have a chance to get the information they need about what other states are doing."
The center - which educates legislators, journalists, activists, academics, students, and attorneys, journalists about FOI developments - will celebrate its 30th anniversary in fall 2007. During a two-day conference, it will also honor 40 years of the Freedom of Information Act and Florida's Open Meetings Law.
"Forty years ago, our elected officials realized that an open and transparent government was fundamentally important to a democracy and passed laws to protect the right of citizens to know what our government is doing. Unfortunately, this right is under attack," said Sandra Chance, the center's executive director. "The conference will explore the issues and challenges to freedom of information and develop strategies for protecting the public's right to know, both in Florida and nationally."
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Contact: Boaz Dvir bdvir (at) jou.ufl.edu