What happens when journalists and politicians meet?
Well, they often end up debating open-meetings laws (not to mention professional wrestling).
That was the case last week in Nashville during the winter meeting of the Tennessee Press Association.
Journalists typically support strong open-meetings laws that allow the public access to meetings at which elected officials debate everything from how much you pay in taxes to whether the zoning on the lot next door gets changed. The laws allow us to do our jobs – get information to the public and act as a government watchdog.
But it seems that every year, more legislation is proposed that would take away some of the public’s access to meetings and records.