Brechner News

Posted: April 14, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, was quoted in “Cops as ‘Victims’ Court Ruling Means an Officer Like Derek Chauvin Would be Anonymous in Florida” published on floridabulldog.org on April 13. The article addresses how an adverse court ruling may allow police officers to keep their names secret even after being involved in a high-profile use of force. In response to the ruling, the Brechner Center has signed onto a brief in the Florida First District Court of Appeal DCA case, Florida Police Benevolent Association, John Doe 1 and…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: April 13, 2021

Sara Ganim, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information Hearst Journalism Fellow, Brechner Center Director Frank LoMonte, and a team students and alumni are the recipients of the 2020 Education Writers Association (EWA) Award in the Smaller Newsroom Public Service category for their “Why Don’t We Know” investigative podcast on education records. The Education Records podcast, which is the 10th in a series of 13 podcasts, explores the case of four women who were victims of sexual violence and claimed their universities kept their own education records from them — in clear violation of…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Education Writers Association Award, Frank LoMonte, Sara Ganim, Why Don't We Know

Posted: April 13, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, was quoted in “Free Speech, Accountability Experts Question Court Ruling That Shields Cops’ Names After Some Shootings” published in the Orlando Sentinel on April 9. The editorial focuses on a Florida court ruling on a provision of a state constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law that hides from public view the identities of law enforcement officers who kill civilians. According to LoMonte, “Under Florida’s broad version of Marsy’s Law, [Derek] Chauvin, who is currently facing trial, could claim he was a crime victim…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte

Posted: April 6, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is the co-author of “From After-School Detention to Detention Center: How Unconstitutional School-Disruption Laws Place Children at Risk of Prosecution for ‘Speech Crimes’” published in Lewis and Clark Law Review Vol. 25.1. LoMonte and UF Law student and Brechner Center Research Assistant Anne Marie Tamburro write about the most subjective of all school-based offenses: “Disruption.” School-disruption laws are a series of state laws that prohibit and instill penalties for those found guilty of disturbing the operations of a school. LoMonte and Tamburro reference a recent Kentucky…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: April 2, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is quoted in “As Pandemic Wears On, FCC Press Access Limited” published in Communications Daily on March 17. The article addresses the Brechner Center’s “government gagged” research about prohibitions on government employees speaking freely with the news media. According to LoMonte, FCC policies don’t appear conducive to engaging with the public via news stories. Fully communicating isn’t a “canned press release from a professional P.R. spokesperson,” said LoMonte. “If you’re confident that your agency is making valid decisions that you can stand behind, then you…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: March 29, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is the author of “The Future of Student Free Speech Comes Down to a Foul-Mouthed Cheerleader” published on Slate.com on March 29. The article is part of Slate’s Future Tense series, which looks at the intersection of free speech and technology. LoMonte describes the high stakes of a U.S. Supreme Court case, Mahanoy School District v. B.L., that will be decided this term. The decision will set the standard for how much speech schools and colleges can regulate when students are using off-campus…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: March 25, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, was quoted in “Complaint Claims Overland Park’s Police Chief Filed False Report” posted on KSHB.com on March 24. The story focuses on a complaint filed by the mother of a fatally shot teen against Overland Park, Kansas Police Chief Frank Donchez in regard to former Officer Clayton Jenison and the allegation of a resignation for personal reasons. According to LoMonte, it definitely does not appear that the officer left the force for personal reasons. “It seems like the police department has belatedly admitted…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte

Posted: March 23, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, was recently elected to join the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows comprise a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Fellows are recommended by their peers and elected by the board of the American Bar Foundation (ABF).…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: March 18, 2021

For a series of investigative news stories exposing the enormity of preventable deaths in county jails across the United States attributable to suicides or medical conditions, a team of reporters from the Reuters news service is the winner of the annual Brechner Freedom of Information Award for investigative reporting. For a series of stories published throughout 2020, “Dying Inside,” Reuters reporters filed more than 1,500 state freedom-of-information requests to gather the records behind 7,571 deaths in county lockups between 2008 and 2019. They found that the vast majority of those who died were not serving sentences after conviction, but were…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: 2020 Brechner Freedom of Information Award, Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte, Reuters

Posted: March 15, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is quoted in “COVID Demanded Transparency. Has Nevada Delivered?” published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on March 14. The article addresses how the events of the past year demonstrated the importance of open government. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak publicly promised the state’s pandemic response would be transparent, but there have been shortcomings to this promise. COVID-19 has transformed government transparency into “a kitchen table issue for families all across America,” said LoMonte. “Families have come to recognize that they desperately need reliable information…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte

Posted: March 10, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is quoted in “Football Has Long Been the Third Rail for College Leaders. It’s Even More Perilous Now” published in The Chronicle of Higher Education on March 9. The article focuses on how colleges wrestled with the decision to have a football season during the pandemic. They juggled the safety of resuming athletics with trying to create a semblance of normal college residential life. The negotiations were held in private. According to LoMonte, closed-door discussions about playing football in the pandemic reflect a…

Category: Brechner News

Posted: March 8, 2021

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information director, is the author of “Rebuilding Trust Through Government Transparency and Accountability” published on March 4 in the American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine, Vol. 46, No. 3: The Next Four Years. LoMonte’s article focuses on challenges for the Biden administration in restoring public legitimacy through transparency. “The Trump White House overtly sought to undermine any independent fact-finding entity that could challenge the validity of dubious presidential claims,” LoMonte said. “The Biden administration has an opportunity, and a duty, to commit to a government…

Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte