Public Records Survey Instructions

Instructions for Auditors:

1. Try to ask for the records at a convenient time such as mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Do not be waiting to pounce on the public official when he or she walks in. Also, do not wait until five minutes before closing time when people are getting ready to go home.
2. Dress as you would as if you were going to work. Be neat.
3. Make sure you have read section 149.43 of the Ohio Revised Code and have a copy with you.
4. Make sure you have the phone number of Jan Leach or Sue Zake, if you run into any trouble.
5. It is best not to take notes while you are seeking the records, but please fill out the form (s) immediately after you visit while it is still fresh in your mind. Try to remember anecdotes as well as you can because they are what will make the stories compelling. There is room for anecdotes on the form.
6. Be persistent, but do not be belligerent. Act as any ordinary citizen would.
7. Do NOT improvise and try to go beyond what we are asking you to do. Remember, similar questions are being asked across campus and in Kent — the requests need to be as similar as possible in form, to allow us to make better comparisons of the results.
8. Try to avoid identifying your connection to a media organization or the journalism school. The law does not require you to state who you work for or why you want the records. It does not even require you to give your name, although we would encourage you to give your name and phone number if asked.
9. Do NOT under any circumstances misrepresent yourself or lie. We have worked out what you are to ask and how you are to respond. Only as a last resort should you say you are affiliated with a media organization or the school. If that affiliation gets you the record, note that on the form.
10. Remember, we are asking for records, which officials have a responsibility to give you. They do not have to give you information. To oversimplify, you have the right to minutes of a public meeting, but the law does not require a public official to read you those minutes.
11. If you have to pay for copies, note the cost on the form you hand in.

Here’s the procedure to follow:

Ask the clerk to see the record you are assigned. Follow the basic script we have set for you and be sure to be specific about the record you want.

If you get it, inspect it and then ask for a copy.

If the clerk denies you the record in any way, tell him/her you are certain the record falls under the state open records law and is available to the public. If that does not work, show the clerk a copy of the law. If that still does not work, ask to speak to his or her supervisor and go through the same procedure.

If at any point you are asked to identify yourself, the organization you work for or why you want the record, inform the person seeking the information that you don’t believe state law requires that type of information to get a record. Ask if they need that information to produce the record.

Some agencies may have a form they ask you to fill out. Go ahead and put down your name and phone number, but nothing else. Ask them if filling out this form is required to obtain the record.

If, after all this, you are still denied the record, ask the clerk or supervisor to explain why the information is unavailable.

Also ask for the names and titles of the people you have dealt with. If they refuse, note that too. (This is important so we can follow up in our reporting.)

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU SAY THIS IS PART OF AN AUDIT. Don’t volunteer information if no one asks you for it.