Open Records Requests

The Toledo Blade, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and more than 40 other Ohio papers and news organizations pulled together to test and expose the state of Ohio's open record laws. Here is a collection of their stories.

The investigation found:

When citizens walk into government buildings to ask for records, they often deal with clerks, secretaries, receptionists, and other front-line workers who may not be knowledgeable about Ohio's open-records law. The law essentially says that records must be made available promptly and without a hassle.

At the Strongsville school board, a clerk demanded to know Plain Dealer reporter Rachel Dissell's name and why she needed a record showing the superintendent's pay.

When reporter Eric Ayres from The (Martins Ferry) Times Leader told the mayor's secretary in Woodsfield, in southeastern Ohio, that he didn't need to identify himself to see city records, she responded, "In that case, I'd rather not help you."

The Toledo Blade reported:

Municipalities, schools, and police departments across Ohio that were asked to provide certain public records on an unconditional and timely basis followed state law only about half the time, according to results of a survey conducted on or around April 21.

More than 90 representatives from The Blade, 41 other newspapers, the Associated Press, two radio stations, the University of Dayton, and Ohio University walked into government agencies just as anyone would and asked to see certain public records in all of Ohio's 88 counties.

The audit was sponsored by the Ohio Coalition for Open Government, a watchdog group formed by the Ohio Newspaper Association, which represents 83 daily and 163 weekly newspapers.

Government officials and employees regularly questioned the need for the records, improperly insisted some requests be in writing, and demanded to know the name of the person who wanted the record — all in violation of Ohio law.

Statehouse reporter Scott Reeder filed 1,500 Freedom of Information Act requests with almost 900 government entities, then worked full-time for two months policing those requests to get a remarkable 100 percent response rate. With this information, he was able to show that the state's 20-year-old law aimed at making it easier to dismiss underperforming teachers had failed and been thwarted by the state's powerful teachers unions. The data he amassed showed that of the state's 876 school districts, only 38 were actually successful in firing a teacher. This work is a testament to the power of open records.