A small New Mexico newspaper and amateur historian have finally gotten their hands on a report at the heart of a public records case that has spanned five years--and cost Lincoln County more than $100,000 to defend. The DeBaca County News and retired psychiatrist Gale Cooper had been fighting for a copy of a DNA report that, in the end, didn't do much to illuminate the 121-year old story of Bi...Read More

Response to NMFOG's May 18 training, "Public Access to Government" has been great and we have only a handful of spaces left, so register now! Our legal experts will pay special attention to recent court decisions and determinations by the attorney general.

The full-day seminar is targeted toward journalists, public employees, elected officials and attorneys. (It is an approved Continu...Read More

A newspaper that sued for access to public records should be repaid fairly for the money it spent going to court, the state Court of Appeals ruled last week. (You can see the decision here.)

The Rio Grande Sun spent tens of thousands to sue the Jemez Mountain School District in 2009 after it refused to release records relating to embezzlement. Although the Sun won that case, Rio Arriba County ...Read More

The two-year-old IPRA Compliance Guide will be getting a much-needed update this summer, Deputy Attorney General Al Lama announced after meeting with  NMFOG's Gwyneth Doland and Julie Ann Grimm of the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter and The Santa Fe New Mexican.

We had urged the Attorney General's office to update the guide after repeated complaints from NMFOG an...Read More

The public has a right to know the fact a law enforcement officer has been disciplined or fired—even though the law also allows agencies to keep secret any "matters of opinion" about the disciplinary action. That's established law in New Mexico, but it's a continuing source of friction for the public. So FOG was pleased to see the Attorney General's office determine tha...Read More