The General Assembly hereby declares it to be the policy of this State that the formation of public policy and decisions is public business  and shall not be conducted in secret.

-- Tennessee "Sunshine Law": Title 8, Chapter 44  (T.C.A. 8-44-101-201)

 

 

ETSPJ is a Charter Member of the Tennesee Coalition on Open Government and has contributed to it every year since its creation by former National SPJ President Frank Gibson (now public policy director for the Tennessee Press Association). ETSPJ Past President Dorothy Bowles is an active member of the coalition.

Tennessee Coalition on Open Government  has fulfilled its motto, "To preserve and improve access to public information," through many activities, including lobbying the State Legislature and conducting citizen audits of government agencies’ actual openness.

In March 2008, thanks to efforts by then-director Frank Gibson and others, the state added new resources for providing open records information and assistance to Tennessee citizens.

More recently, the Coalition will fight a proposal to allow county commissions and other government bodies to meet and discuss public business without notifying the public.

Read more about Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and its current work.