Staff | American Newspapers
America's Newspapers, the nation's newspaper industry's leading advocacy group, enthusiastically supports the Arkansas Government Disclosure Act of 2024 and the Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendments. These efforts are important steps forward in protecting the public's fundamental right to access government records and minutes and making government actions more transparent.
The Arkansas Government Disclosure Act is designed to make state and local governments more transparent and accountable to residents. Provisions such as establishing a clear definition of a public meeting, allowing courts to impose penalties for noncompliance with records requests, and requiring timely disclosure of public records are consistent with best practices and open government principles. The Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment of 2024 enshrines the right to government transparency into the state constitution.
“Free press and robust local journalism rely on open records and public meetings to foster citizen engagement, root out corruption, and hold officials accountable to the public.” America's News Dean Ridings, CEO of Papers, said: “These important Arkansas proposals recognize the important connection between transparency and a healthy democracy.”
America's Newspapers praised the civic leaders behind these efforts to strengthen Arkansas' freedom of information laws. We urge all Arkansans who value government accountability and the public's right to know to sign and vote yes on these initiatives. Open government is a nonpartisan cause. This is a universal principle that benefits all citizens when state and local governments operate with maximum transparency. American newspapers staunchly support measures that strengthen this ideal.
For more information, please visit https://arcitizens4transparency.org.
About American newspapers:
America's Newspapers represents approximately 1,700 newspaper companies and solution partner companies dedicated to explaining, defending, and promoting the vital role of newspapers in democracy and civic life. We are focused on educating the public about how newspapers contribute to building community identity and the success of local businesses. Learn more: https://newspapers.org
For more information, please contact us below.
Dean Ridings, CEO of America's Newspapers: dridings@newspapers.org
