Accessing public records in Tennessee is becoming a battle of skyrocketing fees and legal roadblocks. While the Tennessee Public Records Act was designed to ensure government transparency, a disturbing trend of ballooning costs is threatening citizens' right to know. From state agencies routing simple requests through legal departments to lawmakers constantly pushing to eliminate free inspections, the landscape of open government is changing rapidly.

Deborah Fisher, Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG), joins the show to break down how these changes impact journalists, citizens, and the fabric of local democracy. She shares critical insights from TCOG's latest research into rising public records fees and exposes the systemic delays that undermine timely reporting. Fisher also highlights a powerful, often overlooked tool available to every Tennessean: the legal right to inspect public records absolutely free of charge.

Key Takeaways

• The Cost of Transparency: State and local entities are increasingly using legal departments to process requests, driving up consumer costs with steep attorney billable hours.

• Systemic Delays: Prolonged wait times for document releases frequently stall critical news stories, causing the public to mistake delayed reporting for late coverage.

• The Power of Free Inspection: Under Tennessee law, citizens can still view and manually copy records for free, a vital provision that TCOG actively fights to protect against legislative rollbacks.

• The Evolving Media Landscape: As newsrooms downsize and digital media expands, consistent advocacy for open government is more critical than ever to combat misinformation.