Illinois Papers Try To Shame FOIA Violators With 'Worsty' Awards

By: E&P Staff No controversy at the University of Illinois split students, faculty, alumni, and activists of all strips like the decision earlier this year to ban Chief Illiniwek, a cherished symbol to many and a mascot that perpetuated stereotypes to others.

But the way the decision was made puts the university's board of trustees and its chairman at the top of the Illinois Press Association's (IPA) list of the state's worst Open Meetings Act (OPA) violators. Each year, the IPA awards 10 "Worstys," a kind of Hall of Shame for entities its member newspapers say violate the letter or spirit of the OPA and the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Rather than make the decision in an open meeting of the public body, the chairman, Lawrence Eppley, apparently talked to members individually, and determined to abolish the Illiniwek decision unilaterally. The chairman told The News-Gazette in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., that he was simply carrying out a mandate from the NCAA, which had declared Illiniwek contributed to a "hostile" environment, and had threatened to bar Illinois from bowl games and tournaments.

IPA President P. Carter Newton, publisher of The Galena Gazette, said in the association's newsletter PressLines that while the group publicizes only 10 violators, it had "hundreds" to choose from. "Despite all the work that this organization does to combat abuses of the both the OMA and FOIA, the problem continues to spiral out of control," he said.

Topping the list of FOIA violators this year was the Harvey City Council, which since 2003 repeatedly ignored requests from the Daily Southtown in Tinley Park for details on how the city spent its budget. The newspaper went to court, and after a year, reached a settlement in which the council agreed to pay the paper $30,000, and produce the documents.

An examination of the records found mismanagement and abuses including reimbursements to the mayor for "Christmas gifts" that included three diamond bracelets, six diamond pendants, three pairs of diamond earrings, and two watches.