Public has right to hear tapes of meetings

This is not a local news article, it is an opinion. This should be on the editorial page. This is the reason that I stopped buying the paper and only read it for free.

This is a bogus issue. It has no uniform application and is a victory for no one - just a further pretense that the media is fighting for open meetings. Hogwash.

If the municipal entity or school board does not tape the meetings, then the question is moot.

If people are that interested, why don't they just attend meetings themselves?

And if the media is that interested, why don't they send reporters to report on the meetings?

Strunk1 wrote:

This is not a local news article, it is an opinion. This should be on the editorial page. This is the reason that I stopped buying the paper and only read it for free.

You are right it is not a news article IT IS A COLUMN, a biweekly Column, which does not does not belong on the editorial page, because it is written by a columnist! It is not billed as an article, yet is does contain relevant local new information and the columnist opinion on it. This is exactly what a column is supposed to do. All quality newspapers have them and all intelligent people who regularly read newspapers and understand their content can spot the differnce!
Thanks watchdog for doing your job, we need more transparency in government, and I agree with your opinion!

Jake H Barnes wrote:

This is a bogus issue. It has no uniform application and is a victory for no one - just a further pretense that the media is fighting for open meetings. Hogwash.
If the municipal entity or school board does not tape the meetings, then the question is moot.
If people are that interested, why don't they just attend meetings themselves?
And if the media is that interested, why don't they send reporters to report on the meetings?

Not all constituents are able to attend all the meeting, they should still have access to the transcripts from those meetings. Also a problem with reporters covering the meetings is that sometimes when they quote politicians, politicians either flat out deny saying what they have indeed said or claim, "out of context" (or if the reporter really misquoted the politician,the tapes will end the question rather then he said, she said ) The bottom line is, if there is a public meeting, the information is public, they should be taped and the tapes should be available to the public. There is no harm in it what are the politicians trying to hide?

I guess we should shut down and get rid of CPSAN, CSPANII and the CSPAN Archives run by Dr. Robert X Browning, Ph.D. of Purdue University where Brian Lamb graduated from.

Transparency in government is a good thing, never forget it.

We would not have the problems today if we the public had access to all tapes undubbed.

Remember, every word taped by every paid politician belongs to the people who paid for all of it - YOU and Me - how they can ever say we can't see what we paid for is way beyond me.

Any law passed to avoid any of this was passed by the very same political body. None of it has any merit.

Only answer is to vote every incumbent out each and ever election.

I am Chalfont Borough councilman Meyerson who has outstanding appeal against the boro on this topic. I see this as a victory for all. It opens the meetings to those unable to attend and clearly see what the majority would like to hide. The next battle is to keep the meetings taped! March 10th meeting will address this; come out and support the taping!

Listen Jake; the majority on council has made it clear that it doesn't want their words leaving the meeting room. How do you tell the guy working the night shift that he's not entitled to hear his own council meeting or he should read them thru the intubation of a reporter?

Since there is no mandate to make voice recordings, a governing body may choose to record only actual votes taken and perhaps also reports given by staff or elected officials. Discussion or public comment could be ruled extraneous and not recorded.

An observer wrote:

Since there is no mandate to make voice recordings, a governing body may choose to record only actual votes taken and perhaps also reports given by staff or elected officials. Discussion or public comment could be ruled extraneous and not recorded.

Again, let the public decide. The Congressional Quarterly records what happens as a transcribed event in Congress and allows addendum and modificaition of of the public record by Congress, but C-SPAN shows every single minute of reality of what truly happened on floor of US Senate and US House of Representatives.

If they are going to have recorded sessions, it should be all or none option. Either all of the meeting is recorded or none of it is and the file their typical public record reports.

If you want tapes of a meeting, why don't you buy yourself a tape recorder and attend...or have an attendee record it?

Does anyone know if Hellertown records their meetings? I am unable to attend any of the council meetings due to the day that it falls on but I'd like to keep up on local government.