Ensuring Freedom
The Maine Press Association, the industry organization comprising of Maine's
42 paid newspapers, is an anchor member of the Maine Freedom of Information
Coalition - a network of organizations and individuals committed to upholding
and protecting Maine citizen's rights to access government records and meetings.
In Fall 2003, the Coalition conducted the first-ever statewide compliance audit,
in response to anecdotal reports that local government offices were refusing
requests for public records.
Access Denied
The groundbreaking audit revealed that many schools, police departments, and
town governments were, in fact, denying access to public records at an alarming
rate. The Maine Press Association responsed by engaging Preti Flaherty to help
lobby for much-needed reforms to Maine's Freedom of Access laws.
A More Open Government
Preti Flaherty spearheaded a three-stage effort for sweeping changes,
beginning with the creation of a task force to investigate the problem and
recommend improvements. Once the task force was in place, Preti Flaherty
assisted with the analysis of the situation, and provided support for various
task force members. Finally, we lobbied in support of the bill, resulting in a
unanimous committee report and smooth sailing on both the house and senate
floors. The bill was signed into law in the spring of 2004, fulfilling our
client's goal of improved access to government records for all citizens.
