The Connecticut Foundation for Open Government is now accepting nominations for its second Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award.
CFOG is seeking nominations of a Connecticut journalist, member of the public and a state or local official who has made significant efforts to foster transparency in government, disclose information vital to the public or otherwise ensure that residents can see their government at work and respond in kind.
Nominees can be local or state officials who have been champions of open access to public information or journalists or residents of the state who have used the state Freedom of Information Act to obtain government information and inform the public or their communities about government action.
Pearlman, of Glastonbury, was the first executive director of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission and a name synonymous with open government and press freedom in the state. Pearlman, who served as the Connecticut FOIC’s executive director for 30 years, He has been recognized as an international expert on government transparency, information policy, electronic information issues, privacy and data protection, freedom of the press and administrative law.
Nominations can be submitted through this link: https://bit.ly/Pearlman2023. The form can also be printed, filled out and mailed to the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, c/o David Fink, 66 Linbrook Road, West Hartford, CT 06107 by Aug. 1. It can also be sent by email to David by the same date. People can nominate themselves or others.
A committee of members of the CFOG board of directors will be the sole group deciding who will be honored with the Pearlman FOI Award. The committee will select one or more winners to be honored at a reception in September.
For more information, email David Fink.