OPEN MEETING STATUTES: THE PRESS FIGHTS FOR THE "RIGHT TO KNOW"

Examines the arguments for and against open meeting laws in the United States. Argument that public knowledge of the considerations upon which governmental action is based is essential to the democratic process; Common law and constitutional background; Statutory techniques adopted to accommodate conflicting considerations; Reaction of the press to the statutes; Proposal of a model open-meeting statute to resolving competing interests and considerations.