The City of Cumming, Georgia must pay out $200,000 in a settlement with citizen journalist Nydia Tisdale, who operates the website aboutforsyth.com. This comes after the blogger filed a federal lawsuit when the city illegally banned her from filming a Cumming City Council meeting.
“This settlement sends a powerful message that government officials cannot shroud their operations in secrecy by barring truth-telling video,” said Gerry Weber, lawyer for Tisdale, on aboutforsyth.com. “But more, the lawsuit has unveiled decades-old practices of an entrenched City government that has left its citizens in the dark. The Mayor’s actions were a blatant violation of citizens’ constitutional rights to record public meetings.”
“This settlement sends a powerful message that government officials cannot shroud their operations in secrecy by barring truth-telling video,” said Gerry Weber, lawyer for Tisdale, on aboutforsyth.com. “But more, the lawsuit has unveiled decades-old practices of an entrenched City government that has left its citizens in the dark. The Mayor’s actions were a blatant violation of citizens’ constitutional rights to record public meetings.”
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3 comments:
"...the lawsuit has unveiled decades-old practices of an entrenched City government that has left its citizens in the dark."
Yeah, Cole ... stuff like this only happens in unenlightened, backwoods places; that could not happen around here where transparency is the watchword ... in the schools ... in local government!
Right - never in Columbia.
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