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As a local news operation, our ability to write accurate stories can sometimes rely on our ability to receive certain reports from governmental organizations.
For example, when we write stories on crime in our area, we either write our reports based on new releases put out by law enforcement agencies, or we request police reports.
The costs associated with receiving those reports was an issue the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association addressed with lawmakers during a recent trip to Madison.
Terry Stevenson, the Vice President of Seehafer Broadcasting and a member of the WBA’s Legislative Committee, tells SeehaferNews.com that their request is simple.
“We want to ensure that those costs continue to be reasonable for the requests of getting public information out to our community.”
Act 253 was created in 2023 to establish the fees related to those requests, as redactions may need to be made to the documents.
Looking at the police reports, for example, the names of victims are typically redacted, as are the names and ages of those who are under 18.
This takes time and manpower, which, of course, means money.
There are no changes to Act 253 being discussed at this time, but Stevenson and the committee asked legislators to keep them in mind if any changes were to come across their desks.
He said the WBA wants to “ensure that we can continue to provide local, accurate information to our communities with public records.”
The WBA also spoke with state legislators about artificial intelligence and items related to social media, specifically requiring age verification.