Following threats and attacks on public officials, state lawmakers across the U.S. have stepped up efforts to shield personal information from being publicly disclosed about judges, police, elected officeholders, and various public employees.
In a March 14, 2023, story by the Associated Press, “States shield addresses of judges, workers after threats,” Associate Professor of Journalism Jodie Gil lends her perspective on the impact of state shield laws on Connecticut’s appointed and elected officials.
Her latest paper on the topic, co-authored by School of Business professors Robert A. Smith Jr. and Kauther Badr, was published by the Journal of Civic Information in December.
Gil, Smith and Badr analyzed open records laws in all 50 states, looking at how they treat disclosure of home addresses. They found that most state withhold addresses in some cases, with many adding exemptions for judges, prosecutors and public safety workers.
A Connecticut bill would add court marshals, attorney general’s employees, and workers in a state unit that determines services for people with disabilities to a list of about a dozen types of public employees whose home addresses are confidential under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act.
Gil has worked as a news reporter for the Hartford Courant, the Waterbury Republican American, and the Valley Independent Sentinel, covering various municipal governments, breaking news, and education.
Her teaching and research interests include multimedia and citizen journalism, sharing economy with online news, new technologies for journalism, and freedom of information.
Read the story here.
