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On National FOIA Day, let’s celebrate a law ‘vital to the functioning of a democratic society’
For many of us, March 16 is a special day. Happy birthday to James Madison, and happy Freedom of Information Day to everyone else. National Freedom of Information Day celebrates the ability of people to look at most government records and is observed on the birthday of the man who wrote the First Amendment. The […]
Teaching all history is important
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is discouraging teaching Black history in state high school classrooms. Why? DeSantis said it “pushes a political agenda” which lacks educational standards. He is also proposing banning state universities from teaching diversity and inclusion theories. What they are really saying is the work of Black Americans – or any minority group […]
Keeping democracy alive with new journalism models in Idaho
Once upon a time in journalism, sharing news between competitors was unthinkable. Press pools, a staple of major military events for years, have been decried by reporters, producers and editors alike. The idea of another news organization sharing a story would be cause enough for some journalists to want to resign in disgust. That was […]
As reactions to the University of Idaho homicides show, free speech isn’t absolute
The First Amendment says we have the right to free speech, right? While the First Amendment says Congress shall make no law abridging the right of free speech, there is no such restriction on the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court have placed certain limitations on what people can and cannot […]
The myth of U.S. energy independence
Politicians talk about energy independence and the current pain at the pump. But what they and most Americans don’t understand is the U.S. is not energy independent and has not been so since 1953. It has been 69 years since the U.S. has produced enough petroleum to meet the daily domestic demand of now 18.684 […]
In abortion memo released to employees, the University of Idaho is right — and wrong
The Sept. 23 memo from the University of Idaho’s general counsel concerning the discussion of abortion by employees was basically right according to Idaho law, although overly broad in its application prohibiting speaking about contraception. The process of notifying faculty and staff should have been handled differently by the administration. In every way, the state […]