The Iowa Freedom of Information Council was organized in the fall of 1976 and formally incorporated in 1977 as a non-profit consortium of newspapers, radio and television stations, media associations, educators, publishers, broadcasters and others interested in openness in government and First Amendment rights. The Council is thus among the oldest, if not the oldest, of such statewide FOI organizations in the nation.
Over the years, the Council’s work has been primarily educational in nature – acquainting journalists with the Iowa open records and meeting laws and conducting workshops for public officials and other citizens.
The Council publishes the IOWA OPEN MEETINGS, OPEN RECORDS HANDBOOK. The handbook is updated every two years and tens of thousands of copies have been distributed throughout Iowa, through county auditors’ offices, the state ombudsman’s office and journalism organizations.
The Council is also designated by the Iowa Supreme Court as the central coordinator of the Expanded Media Coverage program of the Iowa courts.
