FOI News

*Access to publishers only.

Directory information for TPA member newspapers may be found under "Newspapers Online" or by calling to order your copy of the Tennessee Newspaper Directory today. ($40 cover price waived for members and clients.)

Freedom of Information News

resources:

TPA Government Affairs Committee
Clint Brewer, Co-chair, The Tennessean, Nashville
Michael Williams, Co-chair, The Paris Post-Intelligencer
Elizabeth Blackstone, Vice chair, Kennedy Newspapers
Greg Sherrill, Executive Director

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Office of Open Records Counsel

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

First Amendment Center

Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press

Sunshine Week

Public records request forms available
The Tennessee Comptroller's Office announced the availability of forms to assist citizens and records custodians with the public records request process on August 12, 2009. Three forms were developed by the Comptroller’s Office of Open Records Counsel as required by Public Chapter 1179, Acts of 2008.

The Inspection/Duplication of Records Request Form is for use by citizens requesting copies of public records. The Tennessee Public Records Act prohibits governmental entities from requiring a Tennessee citizen to submit a written request when exercising the right of inspection. However, the Act does require a request to be sufficiently detailed to enable the records custodian to identify the specific records to be located or copied. The Inspection/Duplication of Records Request Form will assist citizens in making sufficiently detailed requests. The forms, along with instructions on how and when they are to be used, can be found on the Comptroller of the Treasury’s website at: http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/openrecords/forms.asp

TPA is a primary media sponsor of the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation Imagination Library project.