Norman S. Fletcher to receive Weltner Freedom of Information Award

To be honored at Jan. 29, 2005 banquet at Westin Buckhead
To help the cause of freedom of information in Georgia
Tom Curley, president of AP, is guest speaker

 By Tom Bennett

Atlanta, Nov. 1, 2004 -- Norman S. Fletcher put the capital letters in Georgia open government.

The Supreme Court chambers on Capitol Square have been the scene of many a victory for freedom of information.

Yet it was Fletcher who wrote an opinion so strongly in support of openness that he capitalized it.

"If there is the slightest doubt, or any question whatsoever, as to whether a matter can be the subject of a closed meeting, DO NOT CLOSE," Fletcher wrote in Steele v. Honea, concurring in Charles L. Weltner's majority opinion in 1991.

An undeniable love of the First Amendment freedoms courses through the gangly frame of the tall Fitzerald native and University of Virginia law graduate. It was apparent in another big case near the end of the decade.

"Even if the public interest in a confidential agreement were equal to the public's right of access to judicial records, Savannah College of Art and Design's privacy interest in this case should not trump the public's right to court records," Fletcher wrote, dissenting in Justice Carol Hunstein's 1999 majority opinion keeping private a settlement.

"Public access protects litigants and society," Fletcher wrote.

"Access to court records in civil litigation strengthens the soundness of the trial judge's decisions, encourages greater integrity from attorneys and their clients, and promotes public health and safety."

Fletcher is the unanimous choice of the board of directors of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation to receive the 2005 Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award. He will be honored at GFAF's Weltner Freedom of Information Banquet Jan. 29 at the Westin Buckhead Hotel, 3391 Peachtree Road. The hotel's former name was the Swissotel. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Fletcher joins Eason Jordan, CNN newsgathering chief, Thurbert Baker, attorney general for Georgia, and Roy Barnes, former governor of Georgia, as recipients of this award. It goes each year to the Georgian who has done the most for freedom of information.

Tom Curley stirs up the AP

Tom Curley, another American with a strong personal position in favor of the First Amendment, is the banquet's keynote speaker. The new president of the Associated Press and former USA Today publisher got the nation's attention fast with his Riverside, Calif., address of May 2003.

"Starting now, AP bureaus in any state where open-government audits have not been conducted will be instructed to ... start a project immediately," Curley said.

His 50 chiefs of bureau also are to review their procedures for responding when they are denied access.

"We will help them speed the process of deciding when to hire counsel, seek allies among other media, and fight back," Curley said.

Forging coalitions and fighting back is the very mission of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. It was formed in 1994 and named Hollie Manheimer, an Emory law graduate, as its executive director in 1996.

The Weltner banquet honors the memory of the distinguished former Georgia chief justice. His opinions stressed the importance of transparency and ethics in government.

This night of emphasis upon FOI is this foundation's primary income source. The money we receive will make possible another year of "fighting back," in AP President Curley's words, to restore access to government in Georgia.  The Georgia First Amendment Foundation is a federal 501 ( c) (3) tax-exempt organization and its employer number is 58-2096815.

One of the successful alliances in Georgia public life in recent years has been that of the GFAF's Weltner Banquet and the annual Bar, Media and Judiciary Conference.

For the third year in a row, they will team up in a setting in which the state's lawyers, journalists and judges can gather and talk informally. They also can show their support of the speech and press freedoms in the First Amendment. The Bar, Media and Judiciary Conference occurs during the day, followed by the Weltner Banquet at night.

Courageous reporting

Joel Elliott is a young reporter for the weekly Toccoa, Ga., Record who wrote his own "profile in courage" during 2003.

Elliott reported on the flawed resume of the then Toccoa Falls College president. The leader of the college of 725 students had not earned a master's degree indicated on the resume. In addition, a doctorate is honorary.

The president resigned in June 2003. The brief controversy led to articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times.

Elliott, who was an undergraduate at Toccoa Falls College at the time (and later graduated), got a cool reception from his fellow students for a time after his articles embarassed the president.

"It was the first time I really had the chance to see journalism in action, to see how it can bring change in a real powerful way," Elliott said.

Elliott is the GFAF board of director's unanimous choice to receive the Weltner "Hero" award Jan. 29.

Tickets and sponsorship support FOI work

The Weltner banquet tickets are $350 apiece for Friends of Georgia Freedom of Information. The sponsorship opportunities ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 earn a banquet table of 10 plus GFAF's thanks from the dais, in the banquet program, and in the coverage afterwards on gfaf.org

Tom Bennett of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a GFAF board member and volunteer, and 2005 Weltner Banquet Committee chair.