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Although Iowa ranked fifth in the nation for its open meeting laws and 17th in freedom of information (FOI) in 2008, the state continued to slide in its overall effective government rankings. Iowa had ranked 20th nationally overall in 2007 but fell to 26th, according to the nonpartisan Better Government Association (BGA), which has measured government performance since 1923.

Iowa’s overall BGA grade was actually an “F” at 52 percent. That included 55 percent in open meetings and 53 percent in FOI. The “F” grade in FOI came six years after receiving a “C-” in the same area. The higher rankings in open meetings and FOI were more a result of the rest of the country falling further.

As an example of the kinds of problems the public faces in trying to get information from government, Iowa State University journalism professor Barbara Mack said she went to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames last summer to ask for a list of employee salaries but was stonewalled. Mary Greeley is publicly funded, and that kind of information is a matter of public record.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has pledged to better enforce the state’s open meetings and open records laws. Miller has also asked the news media to report violations of those laws and assigned a lawyer in his office to handle cases in which local government is accused of violating the transparency laws. Last year, the Iowa Office of Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman had 275 transparency complaints or questions.

Kathleen Richardson, the executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said it’s too early to tell if Miller’s pledge has been put into action.

One area where Richardson has seen improvement in recent years is the availability of training on these issues for government personnel.

“The ombudsman’s office and, less frequently, the attorney general’s office conduct training sessions,” said Richardson, who also is a journalism professor at Drake University.

“The government associations frequently offer training in open meetings and records law. However, because of turnover in officials, the need is ongoing. The Iowa FOI Council and Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) have also collaborated with the government associations on FOI training,” Richardson said.

Journalists also are receiving training. ISU’s Mack encouraged a group of reporters at the recent INA convention in Des Moines to become familiar with Chapters 21 and 22 of the Iowa Code and to join the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.

Nationally, President Barack Obama ordered federal agencies to presume that FOI requests should be filled. Obama encouraged cooperation, reversing the policy of noncompliance with the Freedom of Information Act that had been the policy under President George W. Bush.

David Bulla is an assistant professor of journalism at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.