The picture above is not of the esteemed Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, our special podcast guest in this episode. It is meant to portray a stereotype of secretive public officials who don’t want you, the taxpayer, to know things, like lawsuits filed against public officials or cost overruns on public expenditures.
There’s a lot of stonewalling going on, more than ever, and this tiny nonprofit organization stands up tall to hold our ‘representative’ government accountable.
Why does it matter? You have a right to know how taxpayer dollars are being spent; sometimes, they are misspent. And if government officials don’t think anyone is watching, how can they be held accountable?
This picture below is Randy Evans, a hero some of you might not know.
Please listen to the podcast and read the transcript of this meaningful conversation.
My biggest takeaway is how underfunded this vital cause is. To read more about specific cases in which the IFOIC is involved and how you can be in support:
Iowa Freedom of Information Council
Attention writers: Randy Evans will speak during the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. He’ll also participate in a ‘Masterclass on Reporting’ panel and conduct small group workshops on accessing public information.
Finding public information can be critical to a project, whether working on a nonfiction book, essay, or memoir.
The Early Bird discount ends July 1.
Click on the purple link to learn about the 60+ speakers coming to the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat.
If you use the enrollment button below, $100 of your fee will go to the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.
Enroll Now: OWR IV - Iowa Freedom of Information
Our upcoming Monday Zoom guest is Kevin Brooks, lead singer of the Annapolis based musical group, The Eastport Oyster Boys.
Here’s Kevin and the Boys:
A link to the Zoom call will be sent to subscribers on Monday Morning:
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Stay tuned for announcements regarding two new Iowa Writers’ Collaborative members.
Each member is an independent writer. The connection members have is that we are professional journalists and authors who share an interest in Iowa. Please subscribe if you would like to receive a Sunday Roundup of columns posted the previous week. Iowa Writers Collaborative. It is free.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roster
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Live, Des Moines
Jane Burns, The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek, Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Iowa Writers Collaborative, Roundup
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen, Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca, Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Daniel P. Finney, Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Become Inspired... Nik Heftman, Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: Chris’s Substack, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters From Iowans, Iowa
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Alison McGaughey: The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger : Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Ice Cube Press: The Pulse of A Heartland Publisher, North Liberty
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith : The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale : 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
