Lakeland Ledger Wins Prestigious Freedom of Information Award

The Lakeland Ledger has received the prestigious Brechner Center for Freedom of Information award for its successful battlesto keep public records and government accessible.

This is a coveted national award, it recognizes excellence in reporting about freedom of information, access to government-held information or the First Amendment and it's a significant effort on behalf of all Floridians.

The Ledger submitted five stories, including ones on the Polk County School Board requiring people to present identification before entering meetings; the Lakeland Fire Department making people who want public records fill out a form to get them; and the city of Winter Haven failing to keep written minutes of its meetings. All three organizations changed their practices after The Ledger wrote stories as part of its weekly investigative Eye on Polk series.

"The series (of Ledger stories) exposed blatant violations of the law, and forced a number of local agencies and officials to change their procedures to comply with the law," Sandra Chance, executive director of the Gainesville-based Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, said Tuesday.

A series like The Ledger's serves as a reminder that open government isn't automatic, that the laws are only as effective as government's commitment to transparency. It takes a vigilant free press to engage the citizenry, to demand government act in the sunshine and under the law.

Past winners of the award include the Detroit Free Press, Miami Herald, The Associated Press, San Francisco Examiner and Washington Post.

Read the full story in The Ledger here.