Who Has the Leash on the Watchdogs? An Analysis of Public Records Laws in the State of Nebraska

Authors

Madelyn Ames, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Jessica Walsh

Second Advisor

Chris Graves

Date of this Version

Spring 3-31-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Ames, M. 2025. Who Has the Leash on the Watchdogs? An Analysis of Public Record Laws in the State of Nebraska. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Madelyn Ames 2025.

Abstract

In this research paper, I examined the effectiveness and history of public records laws in Nebraska. The focus is on how these laws provide government transparency and accountability. This is done by looking at the historical context, doing a comparative analysis to another state and looking at recent events. Nebraska appears to do well in comparison to other states for complying with public records requests but there is room to grow. In this paper, I argue that there is more work to be done regarding the public's right to know. Based on my case studies regarding two public records request court cases and my comparative analysis to Illinois, it is clear that Nebraska can continue to improve its transparency and accountability. This paper proposes that there must be more accountability and punishment when government agencies withhold information and that journalists need to be stubborn when it comes to seeking public records.