Statewide public records audit showed online presence lacking

STAFF REPORT

Electronic requests for public records held by local governments are sometimes much further than a few clicks away.

A public-records audit conducted by journalists in each county of the state found local governments have a scattershot approach to electronic-data requests.

Some auditors found websites to school districts, cities and counties with email addresses or online contact forms. Others had difficulty figuring out officials’ email addresses or sent multiple emails requesting information but received no response.

This year’s audit by the Ohio Coalition for Open Government, a follow-up to a 2004 statewide audit, included electronic-records requests in addition to in-person requests.

The results exposed digital holes.

Ohio news organizations and the Ohio Coalition for Open Government collaborated on an audit to gauge access to public records in Ohio.

Journalists from newspaper, television and radio stations throughout the state, including staff from The Vindicator and The NewsOutlet at Youngstown State University, were recruited to serve as auditors in all 88 Ohio counties. The audit began April 21.

The auditors were recruited from media outlets that are members of the Ohio Newspaper Association and the Ohio Association of Broadcasters. The audit was overseen by the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.