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Articles on Public access

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Not inside: News cameras set up outside the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Federal Courthouse, where former President Donald Trump was due in court on Aug. 2, 2023. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Cameras in the court: Why most Trump trials won’t be televised

The majority of Americans support TV coverage of former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration said it would reject all freedom of information requests – and then reversed itself after public outcry. AP/Teresa Crawford

Government secrecy is growing during the coronavirus pandemic

One more casualty of the coronavirus pandemic: open government. Since the crisis began, local, state and federal officials throughout the United States have locked down information from the public.
Some publicly accessible spaces are actually privately owned public spaces such as Brisbane’s popular South Bank city beach and streets scene. Flickr/Thirumurugan P

Explainer: What is public space and why does it need protecting?

As you walk about a city are you in public or private space? The line is often blurred.
Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen testifies in February at a public hearing at the Washington legislature against limiting legislative branch disclosure. AP/Ted S. Warren

Secrecy versus sunshine: Efforts to hide government records never stop

Government produces millions of pages of records every day: studies, reports, memos, emails, budgets and more. These reports belong to the public, but increasingly, lawmakers are trying to hide them.

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