Matthew Kauffman has used open records and open meetings laws extensively during his time as a reporter. He retired after more than 30 years as an investigative and data journalist at the Hartford Courant. Kauffman and colleague Lisa Chedekel were finalists for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for their series on suicide among American soldiers during the Iraq War. Kauffman serves on the board for the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government.
Interview by Miah Green, SCSU JRN ‘25. Answers have been condensed and edited.
Can you give us a bit of background on your job of being a reporter for the Hartford Courant?
So, I started in 1986 covering New Haven. We had a much more expansive newsroom back then, so I covered basically most of the shoreline when we had a New Haven Bureau. And then from there I worked on the criminal justice and courts desk for a while. Then I was at the business desk for a bit as a writer and a columnist as well, and then moved to the investigative desk and primarily did longer term projects and did a lot of data journalism as well.
How were you introduced to Freedom of Information?
I was actually introduced to the FOI Act before I was in Connecticut, not necessarily Connecticut’s FOI Act, but the concept of government transparency. My wife used to be a television reporter. In TV, you go wherever the first offer comes from. And that happened to be Wausau, Wisconsin. After we got married, I moved out there. I was with her on a story before I got a job at the local paper. And she had gone to the town hall and asked to see a copy of the city budget, and they wouldn’t give it to her. And I felt the blood pressure rising in me off the sense that a government would try to keep secret something as fundamental as how it spends its money. And so, that’s gotten me into an advocate for government transparency. And in Connecticut, I learned quickly when I got here, we have a strong FOI act.
You won an FOI complaint against UConn after a closed-door meeting on their academic budget. How did that come about?
A colleague of mine at the Hartford Courant, Kathleen Megan, covered UConn. They were having a meeting to settle on the budget. UConn’s budget is gargantuan. There is a lot of tax money there. And they said, “No, no, no, this is a closed meeting, you can’t be there.”
The FOI Act covers both access to documents but also access to public meetings. Looking at the law, we were sure that what they were doing in that meeting was not covered by an exemption that would let them have a closed meeting. So, we filed a complaint with the FOI Commission. The process there is you have a hearing, each side presents their arguments and then the Commission rules.One of the wonderful things about our law is that you do not have to be a lawyer to argue a case before the Commission. And for that matter, you do not have to go to court to appeal a decision.
We thought it was important that they be found in violation of the law. But close to a year went by before we finally got a decision ruling that the meeting was illegal.
UConn was ordered as best they could to reconstruct what went on in the meeting, but this was a year later. People either did not have notes or claim they did not have notes. But nevertheless, we set an important precedent, and we put UConn on notice. The law is designed to allow the citizens to understand what the government is doing. And we are not going to let you get away with doing things in secret.
Has there been any cases where your FOI request has been denied?
I mean, lots of times, yes. When I talk to fellow journalists about FOI, I always say my first advice is trying not to file a formal request for the records. It is unfortunate, but some in government see a formal request as an accusatory thing. And they get in this immediate defensive mode of, “How can we turn this down?” So, I always try to just make a simple request for it, do a little negotiating.
If they say, “No,” say, “I think you will find you are required to provide this document.” If none of that works, then yes, you must file a formal request. And if it gets turned down, then you either decide to go to the Commission or if it’s something that isn’t a high enough priority, I’ve always felt if you make a request, you should absolutely follow through on it. You don’t want people in government to think, “Just say no and they’ll go away.” That happens too often.
What does FOI mean to you?
FOI defines a true democracy. If the people don’t have access to the records that their government creates, if they don’t have access to the meetings that their government employees are holding, how can you really say we have a democracy where the people, where the citizens, are at the top of the organizational chart? So, the FOI Act, as it turns 50, is the document that has preserved the truest measure of democracy. And it has worked fabulously here in Connecticut.
