For years, Wisconsin prided itself as a model for open, transparent government. The State has had one of the strongest open records laws and open meetings laws on the books since 1981, and its elections were generally seen as competitive and fair.
But beginning in 2010, with the Republican party seizing control of all branches of state government, much of that image has been tattered. Perhaps those bulwarks against rampant partisanship and secrecy were never really as strong as we thought they were.
That’s the topic for a new class at the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism taught by Dee Hall, managing editor for the Center for Investigative Journalism. The class, and the associated CIJ investigative series, is entitled “Undemocratic: Secrecy and Power Versus the People“. Dee Hall joins Eight O’Clock Buzz host Brian Standing by phone.
