ABSTRACT
Freedom of information advocates, mass communication scholars, journalists, and public policymakers have often asked the personnel at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida to tell them which public access laws are “the best in the country.” The Brechner Center and other FOI organizations have had to say that no one has conducted an effective study, and therefore “no one knows.” Although not yet complete, the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project provides a clearer look at how state public records and open meetings laws rate. The project combines extensive legal research with a research design guided by fundamental social science research principles to evaluate statutes, court decisions, and constitutional provisions.
