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Freedom of Information Awards
Now accepting nominations
The Arizona Newspapers Association awards Arizona journalists for their dedication to freedom of information and the public's right to know. These pioneers have made an impact on freedom of information in Arizona.
This year, ANA is teaming up with the AP to present the FOI awards at the ANA fall convention on October 10, 2009.
Nomination will be accepted until August 14, 2009. Click here to download the nomination form.
Past Winners
REP. JONATHAN PATON
Republican, Tucson - District 30 REP. KIRK ADAMS Republican, Mesa - District 19 Legislative Winners The pair sponsored a package of four bills in the 2008 legislative session to provide greater transparency and public access to Child Protective Services proceedings and information previously kept from public scrutiny. They ultimately were successful: HB 2453 (Children; Open Court Proceedings) opens court proceedings previously closed to the public; HB 2454 (CPS Information; Public Records) opens CPS records to the public in cases involving the fatality or near fatality of a child/children, unless prosecutors could establish that the release of such records would cause a material harm to a criminal investigation; HB 2455 (CPS Files; Criminal Investigations) contains identical provisions of HB2454 with respect to the release of CPS records; and, HB 2159 (State Employee; Personnel Records) makes state employees’ disciplinary records, including an employee’s responses, available to the public. Representatives Adams and Paton worked tirelessly with numerous stakeholders throughout the legislative session in the drafting and shepherding of the entire package to final passage in the Legislature and then on to the Governor for her signature. |
SEN. JAKE FLAKE
Republican - District 5 Legislative Winner Franklin Lars Flake (1935-2008) is honored for his distinguished service to the State of Arizona and for his help on public access issues. Franklin Lars “Jake” Flake, who passed away June 8, 2008, in Snowflake, not only was a friend of agriculture and rural voters, but also of newspapers. His family is receiving the Freedom of Information Award—Legislative posthumously because of his dedication to public service. Flake, despite the public service and professional accomplishment, knew that Arizona’s future lies in the strength of its families, not the size of its government, according to the legislature’s web site. He often met with newspaper publishers, and in recent years sat down with the ANA board of directors at a retreat in Pinetop. He was one of the Legislature’s last cowboys, running cattle on his family’s F Bar Cattle Co. his entire life. Flake first served in the Arizona House, beginning in 1997. He was speaker of the House in 2003-04. He had served in the Senate since January 2005 and in early May filed his nomination papers seeking a third term. “He’ll be missed,” said Rep. Bill Konopnicki, a Safford Republican also elected from District 5, who said that Flake was in many ways bigger than life itself. |
RHONDA BODFIELD & ENRIC VOLANTE
Reporters Arizona Daily Star For their investigation “State Fails to Protect Nursing Home Patients” (published in the April 6, 2008 Arizona Daily Star), Rhonda Bodfield and Enric Volante went through and cross-referenced 1,000 hard-copy complaints, 50 lawsuits and all 1,000 written citations involving Pima County nursing homes. But first, the two had to fight repeatedly with state health and federal medicare officials to gain access to these public records. Even when the reporters finally won access to records, some files were out of date. In other cases, the paperwork was missing key, basic details—you couldn’t tell whether anyone died in neglect or abuse cases, for example. Bodfield and Volante had to track dates of death from county medical examiners records, instead, and work backwards to find victims. In the end, the database Bodfield and Volante compiled on the Star’s Web site allowed the public to search far more information than consumers can get from any official regulatory site. |
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George Sanchez, Jack Gillum, Andrea Rivera & Jamar Younger
Reporters Leslie Newell & Tiffany Kjos Editors Arizona Daily Star Three million records. Eight public school districts. Four reporters. A 10-month investigation of social promotion and grade inflation in some of the Tucson area’s largest school districts. And the drive to make amazing bit of journalism happen. The problems which ensued were numerous. Most of the districts said they were unable to comply, either due to student-privacy issues, data storage issues or staffing issues. Some of the excuses were outrageous, including remarks that databases didn’t fall under the public-records law, that they didn’t have the staff to run the reports, that individual students would still be identifiable even with the encryption used by the federal government. They went back and forth with the school districts countless times, sometimes even going to the offices in person to show their data experts how to run basic queries and anonymize data. One district had to hire an outside consultant to run its own computer applications. The results of the investigation speak for themselves. One of three students in the eight districts examined failed at least one core course-English, math, science or social studies-during the 2006-2007 school year, yet 90 percent of students were promoted to the next grade level. At least 94,000 student failed essential classes during the past six years. Moreover, the investigation found dozens of school in which failure rates on state tests were greater than the rate of student who failed corresponding classes in English and math. The gaps indicate grade inflation, experts said, meaning students received higher grades than their performance merited. Not only did this project uncover a major problem that experts say has never been qualified before, but it helped a great number of public officials better understand public records and the laws that govern them. What could be more of an outstanding contribution to FOIA an/or First Amendment issues? |
LAURIE ROBERTS
Columnist The Arizona Republic When the chairman of a key Arizona legislative committee announced in the spring of 2007 the committee that hearings into the deaths of three Tucson, Ariz., children that Child Protective Services (CPS) was supposed to be watching would be private, Roberts immediately asked, “Why?” CPS refused to release the usual summaries of the agency’s involvement saying it might jeopardize the criminal cases, and the legislators who reviewed the records couldn’t explain the privacy rule either, stating even they had to sign confidentiality agreements to view the files. Because these CPS documents are routinely open to the public, The Republic – Roberts’ newspaper – and The Arizona Daily Star each filed lawsuits requesting the CPS summaries. The Republic’s lawsuit specifically requested the actual case files under the reasoning that dead children no longer needed confidentiality. Roberts was a vital component in the suit, having researched and written about cases of child abuse and those cases’ correlation to CPS negligence frequently over the previous year. The Republic was successful in winning the lawsuit, and the public had the opportunity to witness a supreme example of why more openness in governmentally-funded agencies like CPS is needed. The paper’s legal victory led the state’s House Government Committee to open its hearings into the deaths. The public was able to hear CPS officials explain how they did nothing wrong when the records clearly showed otherwise. The public also got a glimpse into an agency in need of additional finding and staff but also an agency that keeps its secrets and excuses its mistakes. As a result of the public airing of the state’s role in these tragedies, the state legislature passed a bill this past session that gave CPS additional tools it said it needed to protect children and, most importantly, opening all records in child-death cases so that the public will know whether CPS is doing its job. |
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East Valley Tribune
General circulation daily newspaper serving the Phoenix area’s east valley Johnson Utilities is a privately run water utility that serves Johnson Ranch and other growth areas in Pinal County near Queen Creek. The utility has been controversial and the subject of numerous Tribune stories, stemming from consumer complaints to state agencies over water quality and wastewater issues. The city of Florence entered negotiations last year to buy the utility, and funded a $308,000 study of the utility. When Johnson Utilities rejected a city offer of $190 million, reporter Sarah Boggan requested a copy of the taxpayer-funded study. To her surprise and ours, the city notified Johnson Utilities about our request and the utilities company quickly filed suit against the city in an attempt to block the release of the report. We discovered that, as part of the negotiations, the city had agreed to notify Johnson Utilities in the event a public records request was made. That created the unacceptable situation in which neither the plaintiff nor the defendant in a public records case had a compelling interest in making the report public. Guess how that case would have ended up had the Tribune not hired a law firm to represent the newspaper and the public. In the end the Tribune prevailed and won a court order on May 28 to release the study, with only proprietary information redacted. As the result of its efforts, the newspaper was able to report that the utility charges its customers 30 percent more for water and sewer services than the state average and struggles to meet state standards for potentially poisonous compounds. |
MIKE SAKAL
Reporter East Valley Tribune It is not often someone can bring about a change within a state governmental body, but Mike Sakal’s extensive public records requests and research did, prompting the Arizona Board of Education to organize a public database of educators who lost their teaching certifications in the last decade. After two local high school teachers were charged with sexual offenses against students in spring 2007, reporter Mike Sakal started investigating how many local teachers lost their certification because of sexual misconduct in the past decade. The months-long investigation, which involved examining records from the Arizona Board of Education, Arizona Department of Corrections, local school districts and city and county courts, resulted in an in-depth print and online package. In addition to three stories, the online package included a database of the 38 local teachers who lost their licenses for misconduct since 1998 plus details of other ongoing investigations, four video interviews, online graphics and a records request generator for readers use. Additionally, the Arizona Board of Education ultimately organized a database of educators who lost their licenses for sexual misconduct as a result of the Tribune’s records requests. |
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NEIL YOUNG
Reporter Mohave Valley Daily News Neil Young was instrumental in a victorious lawsuit vs. the City of Bullhead City to gain access to public records the city had refused to release. The case started in Jan. 2007 as an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against three male Bullhead City employee’s by two female employees. The three male employees were placed on leave. The investigation quickly widened to include possible misuse of city computers (including the running of a private business on city computers) and an additional six employee were placed on leave. The city also investigated allegations of a city employee’s swingers/wife swapping ring that was possible trying to recruit co-workers. Neil Young immediately made contact with several employees placed on leave and was informed they were ordered not to talk with the media. Contacts made with city officials, including the city manager and city attorney, elicited the same response. It was, they said “a personnel matter.” Young filed a public records request to the city, which the county attorney refused on the ground of being too broad and unspecific. On Feb. 21, Young and the Daily News narrows scope of records request. The city continued to refuse the release of records. During the ensuing weeks, the city continued to stonewall at every conceivable moment, citing personnel issues and the ongoing investigation. On July 3, the city investigation wrapped up and the investigation summary was released to the Daily News in heavily redacted form. An unredacted form was then requested - only to be refused by the city. On Aug. 15, News West Publishing, parent company to the Mohave Valley Daily News, sued Bullhead City for non-release of public records. Several court hearing, filings, etc., continue through the holiday season and into 2008. Reporter Neil Young was heavily involved in each hearing. On Feb 14, 2008, Mohave County Superior Court ruled that Bullhead City had to release several thousand documents in unredacted form to the Daily News - more than a year after the newspaper’s original public records request. One by one, the judge ruling shot down the city’s arguments as to why it should not release the documents. Young was instrumental in pushing this case, making the case to newspaper management to expend the time and money to pursue a lawsuit, providing information to the newspaper’s attorney and keeping pressure on the city to release information. This case was significant for the Mohave Valley Daily News in that many in the community never thought the newspaper push this hard for information and others thought they would give up as the case dragged on. That they maintained the fight to review the public records - and were victorious - won over many who had thought the newspaper would never put up a fight. It also sent a clear message to government agencies throughout our circulation area that public records are just that: public. |
ELLIOTT FREIREICH
Publisher West Valley View West Valley View publisher Elliott Freireich, at great personal and financial risk, stood up to “America’s Toughest Sheriff” Joe Arpaio and demanded that the sheriff obey Arizona’s Public Records Law. The sheriff refused. The View sued and won in Superior Court. Arpaio appealed. The View won again. Incredibly, Arpaio argued that press releases are not public records and he didn’t have to provide them to the View. Elliott Freireich, 57, launched the West Valley View in 1986 as a community weekly. Today the View is a semi-weekly and is delivered to more than 80,000 households in the cities of Tolleson, Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye and Litchfield Park. |
CARI GERCHICK & EMILY POLAND
Arizona Supreme Court Non-media Winners Gerchick & Poland are nominated for their willingness to speak both on the record and on background to help reporters learn intricate courtroom rules, case histories and precedent. They assisted in pouring over hundreds of legal documents, in addition to their regular workload, so that stories can get done before the deadline. They regularly volunteer significant information about a case and remain professional throughout. |
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REP. JONATHAN PATON
Republican, Tucson - District 30 Legislative Winner The 2007 recipient of the Arizona Freedom of Information award for elected officials is Jonathan Paton, a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from District 30 in Tucson. He is a Republican. Since he first took his seat in the House, Rep. Paton has been interested in the public?s access to government records and meetings at all levels. He understands that the Arizona Newspapers Association seeks to keep government open for all Arizonans, because it isn?t a media issue. If a member of the public can?t see government files, then neither can a journalist from the media ? they have the same status and rights. Iraq service by Rep. Paton took up most of his time in the 2007 legislative session but he returned home ? and to his seat in the legislature ? in time to sponsor a bill honoring victims of the Virginia Tech student massacre. |
CAROL ANN ALAIMO
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Alaimo scrutinized documents regarding 11 Tucson military recruiters that were under FBI investigation for transporting cocaine. |
GEORGE B. SANCHEZ
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Sanchez used the documents he obtained to expose missing money, bid-rigging and favoritism in the Tucson's largest school district. |
BRADY McCOMBS
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner McCombs requested documents at length from the Cochise County Attorney's office pertaining to a Border Patrol shooting. After three months of denials, he enlisted the aid of the First Amendment Coalition and subsequently received the information, which concluded that the Border Patrol agent was not legally justified in killing the migrant. |
ROBERT ANGLEN
The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner Using information he obtained and creating a detailed database, Anglen's public records pursuit documented financial abuse at Maricopa Community Colleges, which led directly to the firing of two college presidents and a key college administrator and a massive overhaul of college financial controls. |
BOB BURNS
(R-District 9, Arizona) Legislative Winner Sen. Burns agreed to sponsor a bill in the 2006 session that the association had been working on for more than five years - the Public Access Counselor. Because Burns sponsored the original bill that created the Arizona office of Ombudsman, Burns suggested the public access office be termed the Public Access Ombudsman and placed under state Ombudsman Pat Shannahan. |
DANIEL SCARPINATO
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Daniel Scarpinato was one of the best education reporters the Star has had in years, largely due to his use of public records/FOIA requests. He was never satisfied with official answers to questions and always wanted to analyze reports and information to find the truth of the matter. He learned how to see between the lines on school board agendas and spot trends that he backed up with lots of numbers gained from records requests. One of the best stories he produced - and, perhaps, one of the best stories in the Star - during your timeframe was an analysis of how often area districts had moved to fire teachers during the past five years. The results showed there are major problems with process. For example, one local district let a teacher remain in the classroom for six years, even though he was accused repeatedly during that timeframe of fondling and propositioning students, and even showing one a tattoo on his buttock. Another teacher had been repeatedly accused of injuring students yet also was allowed to remain in the classroom. This story followed several others that looked at individual teachers and the problems they were having, as also documented in numerous records. Daniel also used public records to get numbers that showed serious problems with how the city's largest district was handling its desegregation order. His story showed that nearly 600 minority students were on waiting lists for schools that had nearly 1,000 open seats. Daniel Scarpinato has covered politics for the Arizona Daily Star since May. He joined the Star 2004 and covered education before being promoted. He is a native Tucsonan, a graduate of the University of Arizona and vice president of the Southern Arizona Society of Professional Journalists. |
BECKY PALLACK
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Hardly a day passes when Becky Pallack isn't filing a public records or FOIA request. As our public safety reporter, she was constantly requesting police reports, reviewing court records and requesting other data that she could analyze to see what crime trends were taking root in Tucson. But she also constantly pushed herself to find more records to check, which resulted in many good stories from agencies such as the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. It also led to her taking over our monitoring of workplace safety issues via the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The results of all this hard work were outstanding. One of the best records-driven stories she wrote within your timeframe was an analysis of how work sites in Southern Arizona are becoming more dangerous. This story was tremendously important because it was something that hadn't been reported at all, but certainly was pertinent to the safety of many members of the community. Another important story she reported was the result of extensive records requests from police and courts in which she detailed the violent workings of a local meth ring. She also explained to the community how charges had been dismissed in a high-profile murder case (authorities wouldn't explain it to her, so she tracked it down with records); how a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run had been cited just moments beforehand and how a fired officer was allowed to keep his certification. |
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CAROL ANN ALAIMO
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner As the military reporter, Alaimo often deals with reluctant sources that don't want to tell her the truth. She had several great stories this year that relied on public records, stories the public may never have known about without her diligent work. Chief among these reports was an analysis of what high schools military recruiters were targeting. There had been growing sentiment around the city (and the country, for that matter) that recruiters were targeting poor schools and those with high minority populations. So Carol Ann plastered the school districts with requests for records on what recruiters they were allowing on campus and how often they visited. The resulting analysis showed that recruiters weren't actually targeting poor and minority-heavy schools, but rather those with strong JROTC programs and those closest to military installations, where the children of current military members were attending school. Another example is a story she wrote about an accident at an air show practice. Turns out, a former Navy Top Gun with decades of flying experience had forgotten to put down his landing gear. She also reported on the still-rising incidents of domestic violence in the military; analyzed how many people were taking advantage of a raise in maximum recruiting age; and obtained federal reports that showed why our area installations fared as they did during the BRAC process the previous year. She never stops seeking answers. |
STEPHANIE INNES
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Stephanie Innes is a great reporter who's always trying to find ways to improve. To that end, she challenged herself this year to incorporate more public records/FOIA reporting in her beat. While she's always been proficient with records, from her time as a police reporter to her time covering the bankruptcy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, she wanted to push herself to do as well while covering religion. The result has been a fabulous series called Faith & Growth. The series began with a story in which Stephanie obtained property records from seven different municipalities and analyzed what religions were building and where they were doing it. The results showed that religious groups have spent at least $32 million on construction during the past six years and most of the building was among conservative Christian churches in suburban areas. The second story in the series examined how many local churches are functioning without their own buildings, mostly through meetings at public schools, community centers, etc. These stories have been popular with readers, not surprising given that readership surveys consistently show that people want to learn things they don't know about their community. Stephanie also broke the first story about the "brooming" incidents at a Prescott camp that involved the state Senate president's son, and the plea bargain that followed, and she used an abundance of court records to figure out why the city's long-running Passion play was ending. On top of her outstanding coverage of the diocese bankruptcy, Stephanie really did a great job this year in using public records/FOIA reports in her beat. |
DAVID HAWKINS
The Standard (Kingman) Journalist Winner One particular incident that surfaced earlier this year demonstrates Hawkins' contribution to the media utilizing the First Amendment and the Freedom of information Aty. A series of 'resign or be fired' scenarios were happening left and right within the city, all corresponding with the introductory term of a new city manager. Hawkins made repeated attempts to acquire information regarding the departures of two key city employees, and all attempts were either ignored or downright refused. Hawkins submitted Freedom of Information Act requests, and ultimately, was able to report the facts to the public. Hawkins has upheld the standard of the people's right to know and that he will continue to do so, making him an outstanding contributor to Freedom of Information and First Amendment issues, as well as an outstanding journalist. |
GINGER RICHARDSON
The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner MONICA ALONSO-DUNSMOOR The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner In this case, reporters Ginger D. Richardson and Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor did what all reporters should strive to do everyday-serve as watchdog for the public. Richardson, who covers downtown Phoenix redevelopment and Sky Harbor International Airport, got a tip that a Phoenix Aviation Department employee was taking extravagant vacations on the city dime. She and Ms. Dunsmoor ended up uncovering more wrongdoing than the tipster ever expected. Getting information wasn't easy, however. The City of Phoenix refused to give the reporter an electronic database of employees' travel expenses. After The Republic enlisted the help of an Attorney, the city turned over a box containing more than 1,800 records. None of the travel reimbursement forms were in order-either alphabetically, by department, or by dollar amount. Richardson had to go through each document by hand, ferreting out duplicates, and other extraneous paperwork. To keep track of it all, she and Dunsmoor, our city hall reporter, created a database of travel spending, and then went back and began requesting individual trip reports. Again, the city fought the release of the documents, saying it would take weeks to cull the information from archives. When the new batch of records was finally provided, they too were a jumbled mess. Reporters had to cull through thousands more pages, and repeatedly go back to the city to request missing or supplemental information. Amazingly, all of this was done in a seven-week time period. The series has prompted immediate, and comprehensive, changes to the way the city operates, and will save a countless amount of taxpayer money. Phoenix has rewritten its travel policies and has asked blatant offenders to reimburse the city for their inappropriate charges. |
DENNIS WAGNER
The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner In late June 2005, five members of a family in Yuma were found shot to death in their home. Reporter Dennis Wagner was assigned to write a reconstruction of the homicides. To do this, he filed a public records request asking the city police department to turn over its investigative file on the incident. Yuma police refused to release the records, saying the information was part of an ongoing homicide investigation. After obtaining information about the victims, Wagner reviewed state court records and found possible leads to pursue in Yuma Municipal Court. On July 7 he filed a public records request with the court, asking for any information it had in connection with the case. The judge provided some requested documents, but ruled the The Republic was not entitled to the complete report-even though state law stipulated they were public records. Of more concern, though, was the judge's shredding of the investigative documents, a clear violation of the state's public records law and a Class 4 felony. The Republic filed an appeal of the judge's actions with the state Superior Court, which had administrative jurisdiction over the city court. In an attempt to mediate the dispute, the Yuma city attorney offered The Republic a complete set of records in return for withdrawing our protest. The newspaper refused the offer and took its case to Superior Court. The Republic's editors thought the municipal judge to be in the clear violation of the law and wanted him top be reprimanded for his actions. They also wanted the records that the state law said the newspaper-and the public- was entitled to. On October 4, The Republic was granted both its requests. The Yuma Municipal Court judge was given a reprimand for shredding the documents and the newspaper was given the complete investigative file on the murders. |
ROBBIE SHERWOOD
The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner Robbie Sherwood's stories on the Arizona Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners started with a tip from a homeopathic physician and the longtime watchdog of the board who provided details of how board members had repeatedly granted licenses to felons and other doctors with severe disciplinary problems in other states. Allegations included the death of at least one patient and threats to the life or health of many others. The board, which had not undergone a state performance audit in 20 years, was about to go before the state Legislature for its 10-year sunset review, to determine whether it could continue to exist. To verify of dismiss the claims, Sherwood first requested five years worth of the board's official meeting minutes. Using the records as a springboard, he systematically worked to get the real story behind each of the claims and to look into other cases of interest that had caught his eye during the review. After completing three weeks of research, he pieced together short vignettes on each of the doctors, outlining allegations and histories that had been verified through hundreds of pages of public records. Sherwood then contacted each doctor who would be mentioned in the story, many of whom were initially reluctant to talk. He eventually persuaded all but two of the doctors to comment. The front-page story ran in the Republic on Oct. 9 included a comprehensive chart detailing what the records revealed about each of the doctors, the role the board played in licensing them and the doctors responses. Several weeks after the story was published, a joint state House and Senate Health Committee overwhelmingly recommended a full audit of the Board. The committee also recommended that the board be renewed only for two years - rather than the full 10 - while the audit is being completed. The full legislature will consider the recommendation in early 2007. |
JUDI VILLA
The Arizona Republic Journalist Winner In late October 2005, a Phoenix fire truck was involved in a fatal accident. The Republic received reports that the engineer was driving close to 60 mph in a lane of oncoming traffic - a violation of department policy. Judi Villa, the reporter assigned to cover the Phoenix Fire Department, had covered past fire truck accidents and started asking questions about driver training. She found out it was virtually non-existent. Villa also found out that driver training was something the firefighters union had been requesting for years- unsuccessfully. With this background, Villa requested the fire departments accident logs. Villa was able to conclude from an analysis of fire department records that two-thirds of firefighter-involved accidents were preventable. The public records requests she filed were crucial because they allowed her to attach a dollar amount to those accidents: Nearly $4 million paid in auto liability claims since 2002 and another $730,000 spent to repair damaged vehicles. About a month after the story ran, Phoenix fire officials announced they were requesting $480,000 in additional funding for the next fiscal year for driver training. A committee also began meeting to develop a comprehensive driver training program that would include annual refresher courses, a two-year recertification process for engineers, and remedial training for drivers deemed at fault in accidents. |
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DEAN MARTIN
(R-Ariz.) Legislative Winner This is the third award for the Senator from the Phoenix area. The association's board of directors and legislative committee said that the work that Sen. Martin continues to do to open records, and keep them open, is one of the most important jobs for a state legislator. This past legislative session (2005) Sen. Martin introduced two pieces of legislation concerning open records. The first, Senate Bill 1498 outlawed the growing practice of a government entity suing a member of the public simply because that person requested public records. "That is a method of stalling or refusing to hand over public information," said John Fearing, executive director of the Arizona Newspapers Association. The government entities claimed they need a judge to make a decision on whether the information is public as defined by the state?s Public Records Act. This forced a citizens to hire an attorney and become a defendant, Fearing said. But, thanks to Sen. Martin, we no longer have to deal with that. Martin also introduced Senate Bill 1499, the Public Access Counselor. That bill funds a state employee to advise the public and government on whether a request is legal. Although the Public Access Counselor bill was adopted by Senate, and included study of SB 1498, it failed in the House. |
CHUCK HUCKELBERRY
Pima County Administrator Public Winner Chuck Huckelberry has been the Pima County Administrator since 1993. Chris Limberis with Tucson Weekly nominated the government employee, writing, ?I don?t think his hallmark Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, together with $174 million in open space bonds, would have gained such support had he (Huckelberry) and his crew not made open government a requirement.? He continued, Chris Limberis with Tucson Weekly ?Huckelberry should be recognized for running the most open government in memory here. He opens it all, warts and all. Rarely must a reporter file a public records request under ARS 39-121.-121.03. He and his staff are responsive and thorough and they don?t play games with the records. You want, you ask, you get. He has set a proper tone for the wing of the diffuse county government under his control. The many elected officials running other county departments should, but don?t, take his lead. And finally, he stands in stark contrast to the historic practices of secrecy across the plaza at City Hall, though that will improve under Mike Hein.? |
MARK SCARP
East Valley Tribune Journalist Winner Mark Scarp, a columnist for The Tribune in the East Valley, is the president of the Arizona First Amendment Coalition, a group that assists journalists across the state when they have records and meeting access issues. Scarp earned the award because of his volunteer work for the coalition by serving as president for the past five years. During that time he has worked on various issues including ironing out problems reporters have in covering forest fires. |
JACQUES BILLEAUD
The Associated Press Journalist Winner ENRIC VOLANTE Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Jacques Billeaud of the Associated Press and Enric Volante of the Arizona Daily Star were the lead reporters on a statewide access audit of public records. Under the auspices of the Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors group, journalists from across the state visited law enforcement agencies, schools, and city or county managers to see how well our government follows the Arizona?s Public Records Law. Jacques and Enric helped analyze the data and turn it into a series of stories that revealed wide differences in the way Arizonans are treated when they ask government employees for public records. Jacques Billeaud covers immigration and politics for The Associated Press' bureau in Phoenix. He has worked as a reporter for 12 years. Before joining the A.P. in 2000, he reported for newspapers in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Tennessee. Enric Volante is a senior reporter and computer assisted reporting specialist. He?s been with the Star since 1981. |
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CAROL ANN ALAIMO
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Carol Ann Alaimo, military reporter for the Arizona Daily Star, used the federal FOI Act to follow-up on an incident reported worldwide when it happened. In 2003 the military said it raided a location in Afghanistan based on intelligence reports that a high-profile terrorist was in the area. The bodies of nine children were found at the site. The military apologized for the incident. Carol Ann filed an FOI request for the investigative report. The military withheld the report but in August 2004 sent a letter saying its investigation found no misconduct. In fact, the three-paragraph letter said, a videotape of the attack found no evidence that children were at the scene while the air raid was taking place. Carol Ann was the first to report these findings. Alaimo has more than 20 years' experience at newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. |
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BECKY PALLACK
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner On every beat Becky Pallack has covered, she has made Freedom of Information Act requests a part of her daily routine. She was honored last year for this award for her work uncovering workplace safety issues when she covered workplace issued for the Business Section of the Arizona Daily Star. Perhaps her proudest use of public records in the past year was, ?Abused girl?s home prison: a bleak life,? published Feb. 11, 2005. This narrative was pieced together mostly from police reports. It shows what a great job a reporter can do even with just reports as long as he or she asks for the right ones and uses the right details. The top story: ?As she sat alone, trapped in a small, dark room, the 14-year-old girl tried to remember her multiplication tables. She hadn?t been to school for nearly three years. Her father and his live-in girlfriend kept her locked in the room, a pink blanket covering the lone window?? Pallack also uses the Freedom of Information act routinely to request Internal Affairs reports. That has led to such stories in the past year as ?Detective demoted as case is dropped, (March 12, 2005), ?Dispatcher accused Hunt of harassment? (Jan. 5, 2005), and ?Woman claims TPD officers pressured her to have sex? (March 3, 2005). Also, Becky and Star reporter Kim Smith nailed a story about Pima County dismissing 539 drug cases because police and prosecutors forgot about them and let them languish too long. They got this story by arguing, and not giving up, that letters from the County Attorney?s office to the Police Department are public records. Becky Pallack has covered real estate and workplace issues for the Arizona Daily Star since October 2003. Before that she spent several months reporting for Inside Tucson Business preceded by a year covering education for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff. |
AMANDA CRAWFORD
Arizona Republic Journalist Winner WARD BUSHEE Arizona Republic Journalist Winner In the Fall of 2004, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) hit more than 1 million enrollees for the first time. As the state legislature scrambled to find $75 million to cover the program?s growth spike, The Arizona Republic set out to explain how the Medicaid program had grown so rapidly in the three years since voters had expanded eligibility. As part of this effort, Republic reporter Amanda J. Crawford filed a public information request to the Department of Economic Security (DES), which processes eligibility for AHCCCS, requesting data on the employers of the working adults enrolled in the program. DES told the newspaper that the information was not public. The Republic continued pursuing the data, using the specific application form that is filled out by applicants as the basis for another public records request. DES maintained that a federal rule prohibited the release of the information. Then they added an additional caveat: Even if the rule did not apply, getting at the information would require the work of a computer programmer and would cost the Republic $4,000. Similar requests from other news outlets and state legislators also were denied at this time. That winter, Democratic Sen. Richard Miranda introduced legislation to counter the agency?s refusal to release the records. The bill would have made the AHCCCS employer data public. It was struck down in committee. Meanwhile, in other states, lists of employers of those on Medicaid were made public, leading some legislative efforts to address the burgeoning rolls of public health programs. Wal-Mart, Arizona?s largest employer, led the list in most states, leading to campaigns targeted at the retail giant. The Republic continued its efforts with DES and the state Attorney General?s Office and received denial after denial. Eventually DES printed hundreds of pages of information for The Republic, even though the newspaper constantly asked for electronic records. Pressing harder, the Republic received electronic records, and learned the data about employers was spelled just as the applicants had written them. In two days of marathon work, Crawford and Republic data specialists Ryan Konig and Matt Dempsey cleaned up the data. Published on July 30, the story gave Arizona citizens information about employers. It is a $6 billion program and Wal-Mart had 10 percent of its workers on the list, alone costing taxpayers an estimated $15 million a year. The state of Arizona also had employees on the list, a blow to the government that revealed the low wages of some of its workers. Several legislators have indicated they will use the information to draft legislation in 2006. Winning the documents not only was a victory for The Republic, but also for the public because it gave them insight and perspective on a program rapidly consuming state taxpayer resources. |
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DEAN MARTIN
(D-Ariz.) Legislative Winner Sen. Martin, a previous FOI recipient, received another FOI award because he stood up for the people of Arizona in the state legislature by being attuned to actions that would have turned the light out on public information. When schools thought it was best to stop publishing their annual financial reports, and their budgets in their local newspapers, Sen. Martin became concerned as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. |
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JAKE FLAKE
Speaker of the House Legislative Winner Speaker of the House Jake Flake received his award for his keen understanding of the role newspapers play in their communities, and how businesses remain successful. In the 2004 session of the Arizona Legislature, Speaker Flake assisted newspapers by removing an amendment that would have halted newspaper publication of school finance reports and budget; information that should be accessible to the public. The fourth of eight children, Jake learned the value of teamwork earlier in life than most. His childhood chores on the family ranch taught him that true success comes through hard work. |
JANET NAPOLITANO Governor Legislative Winner Gov. Janet Napolitano received an FOI award for her veto letter during the long 2004 session of the Arizona Legislature when there were debates in the House and in the Senate about bills focused on future gasoline fuel crisis. Her letter for the house bill said, "As we learned last summer after the rupture of the Kinder-Morgan petroleum pipeline, the flow of information about fuel supplies during a crisis is important for informing the public about the expected duration and implications of the crisis..." |
BOB KAMMAN
Attorney and Tax Accountant Public Winner Kamman provides tax advice and prepares tax returns for several hundred clients. But one of his passions is scanning campaign finance reports filed with the Secretary of State?s Office by candidates for state offices. He is a supporter of the Clean Elections public campaign funding system, saying that the best way to preserve the system is to keep it honest. Kamman filed numerous complaints against candidates during the 2002 election and several of these turned into enforcement actions by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. |
DARYL JAMES
East Valley Tribune Journalist Winner James, a reporter for the Tribune in the East Valley, wrote a story with a headline, ?Veil over school pay.? In the spring of 2004, he used freedom of information requests to tests charter schools? compliance with the Arizona Public Records act. In another story, ?School crime reports paint a blurry picture,? James challenged the accuracy of school crime reports at many East Valley schools. And for ?Reading, writing and lawsuits,? James used multiple FOI requests and court records for a third investigation in March on the amount of money East Valley school districts were spending on attorney fees and court costs. |
PAUL GIBLIN
East Valley Tribune Journalist Winner Giblin, a reporter at the Tribune in the East Valley, wrote a story with the headline, ?E. Valley pays, W. Valley plays.? For the Aug. 10 article, he used public documents to illustrate huge funding disparities from a state agency set up to build public sports facilities, funded by public taxes. In an Oct. 26, story, ?Police official?s past open rift in force,? Giblin used a variety of records to document internal police concerns about the Scottsdale Police Department?s top civilian official, administrative services director Helen Gandara Zavala. |
TOM ARVISO
Navajo Times Journalist Winner The Navajo Times Publishing Co. Inc. began official operation as a for-profit corporation on Jan. 1, 2004. Prior to that, since 1960, the Navajo Times was owned and operated as a division of the Navajo Nation Government. During its tenure as a Navajo tribal department, the Navajo Times was constantly under political pressure from Navajo leaders and the tribal council to present news that was slanted toward the tribal government and would put tribal leaders and officials in a positive spotlight. |
TERRANCE CORRIGAN
White Mountain Independent Journalist Winner Corrigan used open records/meeting reporting, editorials effectively. He has continued to regularly generate opinion pieces discussing the laws that require government boards and commissions to conduct their business openly. These opinions have resulted in more openness and educated citizens on Open Records and Open Meeting law in Arizona. |
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BECKY PALLACK
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Pallack, a reporter with the Arizona Daily Star, has less than two years experience in the field. But she is proving to be a champion of the First Amendment and has built for herself a passion and base of knowledge on the issue, which is rare for someone so green. |
ROSA CIRIANNI
East Valley Tribune Journalist Winner Cirianni, reporter at the Tribune in the East Valley, frequently uses Freedom of Information requests and continually pursues her right to review public records so she can write about pertinent subjects of public interest. |
JENNIFER RYAN
East Valley Tribune Journalist Winner Ryan, a reporter at the Tribune in the East Valley, last year worked on a project involving police pursuits. It would not have been possible without the extensive use of public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Ryan queried seven major law enforcement agencies in Maricopa County for hundreds of police records that became the lifeblood of the project. The reports revealed 25 pursuit-related deaths since 1989 and more than 80 injuries over the past five years. |
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CAROL ANN ALAIMO
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Alaimo, a military reporter at the Arizona Daily Star, day after day faces unanswered phone calls, slamming doors and various versions on ?no comment.? Oftentimes, even for the simplest of requests, she is forced to resort to filing Freedom of Information Act requests. |
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ENRIC "RIC" VOLANTE
Arizona Daily Star Journalist Winner Volante, a reporter at the Arizona Daily Star, is a computer-assisted reporter whose job revolves almost entirely around public records. Almost every story he writes is based on public documents he diligently seeks simply by asking, by building relationships with public officials or by filing Freedom of Information Act requests. For a story with the headline, ?Leaking fuel tanks foul soil, water under our feet,? Volante used state records to produce an investigative story about how leaking fuel tanks foul the soil and water under our feet. When he downloaded the leaking underground storage tank data from the state Dept. of Environmental Quality Web site, he found it was seriously incomplete and that the public was not getting accurate information. |
KELLY CROWLEY
Payson Roundup Journalist Winner In four separate stories, Crowley, a reporter at the Payson Roundup, recognized injustices were about to occur. Although she is a fairly new reporter, Crowley led the charge to ensure that those injustices did not happen. Through her efforts, a gag order was prevented and the public?s right to know was protected. |
THE STAFF
Arizona Republic Journalist Winner The Arizona Republic staff aggressively used the Freedom of Information Act when Reporting on Prison Standoff. The staff dissected the nation?s longest prison standoff and the circumstances in the state corrections department that allowed it to happen. The Republic Team, led by Pat Flannery, a senior reporter covering pubic money issues, reported on a detailed examination of lawsuits against governments and money paid to settle. The team of eight local government reporters and the county beat reporter examined lawsuits against city, state and county governments over three years. Flannery and some of the reporters waged a number of Freedom of Information battles for data and other information needed. The other reporters were: Christina Leonard, Alia Rau, Adam Klawonn, Edythe Jensen, Monica Dunsmoor, Marty Sauerzopf, Chuck Kelly, David Madrid, Stephanie Paterik and Leslie Wright. |
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TERRENCE CORRIGAN
White Mountain Independent Journalist Winner Terry was instrumental in getting the White Mountain Lake Fire District to realize they were violating the open meeting law. His coverage resulted in the fire district board admitting guilt to 19 violations of the law. Terry also wrote at least 5 editorials this past year asking/insisting on openness by public bodies. Terry is perhaps at his best when he is insisting that public business should not be done behind closed doors. His editorial on Tuesday Nov. 26, 2002 ends with the words: ?Don?t take us wrong here, most of our local governing boards do their best to conduct business openly and we appreciate it. But for those few who continue to flaunt the law we will continue to point it out. Openness in the conduct of government is essential to a free society.? This is Terry?s second FOI award. Terry was nominated by his Publisher, Greg Tock. |
DR. RICHARD A. PARKER
Northern Arizona University ~ School of Communication Public Winner Richard Parker is a leading and nationally recognized First Amendment scholar who has championed Freedom of Expression issues throughout his career as a university professor. Dr. Parker has just published a book entitled "Free Speech on Trial: Communication Perspectives on landmark Supreme Court Decisions." (University of Alabama Press, 2003). The book includes 19 essays that focus on landmark cases in free speech law and how these cases contribute to our democratic society. Dr. Parker is a professor of Speech Communication in the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University. He is a lifetime member of the Freedom of Expression Interest Group of the National Communication Association where he contributes his research findings on Freedom of Expression issues each year. He has been a regular contributor and editor of the Free Speech Yearbook and has published widely in the field. Dr. Parker was nominated by Roger Lavery, Dean of the NAU School of Communication. |