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Community Video in Action
Update: Channel 16 starting covering this important board meeting after the Indianapolis Star article on September 2, 2002. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this happen.
by Andrea Price
Ever wondered what goes on at a Capital Improvement Board (CIB) Meeting? We wondered why it, unlike other meetings, was not covered by Channel 16. We were told that Channel 16 had offered to cover the meetings, but the Chairman of the Board declined.
Hold it! I thought Channel 16 was supposed to serve the public's interest -- not the Board Chairperson's. My interest in what goes on at these meetings was further piqued when one of our members was told not to bother coming to the meeting: the public would be informed when there was something on the agenda of concern. Big Red Flag! You mean, with only 12 one-hour public meetings each year, some are "extra" and nothing that concerns me or any of the millions of dollars of our taxes and "user fees" that the CIB gets each year goes on in some of these meetings?
Indiana's Open Door law deems most types of activities and all official final action in meetings as "public meetings," unless expressly excluded by law. Furthemore, the law expressly provides the public with the right to record public meetings. Openness is an fundamental component of democratic governance, and these laws are among the most important on the books.
As I imagined what a CIB Meeting would be like, I was taken back to what things were like before we had Channel 16. As a senior in high school, I was part of the Lilly Foundation's Project Leadership Service, and one of our many actiities included attending a City County Council Meeting. What I saw frightened me: during a vote, only about half the Councillors were in their seats and participating. Some were not to be found, and while others were up and carrying on loud conversations like they were at cocktail party or unruly students ignoring a substitute teacher. I imagine that many of these politicians were not keen either on the idea of cameras recording and cableasting their every vote and comment.
Now twenty years later, my greatest concern has moved to the influence that occurs outside of public meetings. That concern we must addresss ourselves. It is, however, fair to expect that our government acesss TV channel should be free to cover every public government meeting as defined by law. But it is not surprising that it cannot when our government access channel is run by the government instead of by the public -- as it should be.
So we, Public Access of Indianapolis, will cover the Capital Improvement Board meetings until Channel 16 is allowed to. We request that Channel 16 be allowed to show our tapes on its channels. In the mean time, we will stream the video from our website, as we continue the fight for a public access TV channel, so that free speech becomes free again in Indianapolis.
Additional Taped CIB Meetings:
May 13, 2002
June 10, 2002 |
