2010 CFOG Walter Cronkite Award Dinner

PRESS RELEASE

BOB WOODWARD TO BE HONORED WITH CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT'S 'WALTER CRONKITE AWARD' AT NOV. 18, 2010 ANNIVERSARY DINNER IN NEW HAVEN

October 14, 2010

HARTFORD -- Famed investigative reporter and author Bob Woodward of The Washington Post will be presented with the prestigious "Walter Cronkite Award" to mark the 35th anniversary of Connecticut's pioneering Freedom of Information Act.

The honor will be presented to Woodward on November 18th at a special FOI anniversary dinner to be held at the Omni Hotel in New Haven. The dinner and presentation are open to the public. For more information about the event and reservations, contact info@ctfog.org.

Woodward will speak at the dinner.

"Bob Woodward perfectly personifies the spirit and mission of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act," says Daniel Klau, a Hartford attorney and president of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, which is organizing the anniversary event. "The preeminent journalist's dedication to the fullest exposure of the information the citizenry needs to make its critical decisions is legendary," said Klau.

"From exposing the assault on American constitutional values in the Watergate scandals through a long series of other journalistic efforts to more than 15 best-selling and incredibly informative non-fiction books, Bob Woodward has been an unrivaled leader in sustaining the people's right to know about what its government and leaders are up to. He exemplifies the highest standards that define the Walter Cronkite Award," Klau said.

The Walter Cronkite Award is only presented every five years and previous honorees include Cronkite for whom the award was later named, PBS' Jim Lehrer and investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersch.

Connecticut leads the nation in protecting the public's right to know about its government's activities. In 1975, the legislature codified the public's rights to access to public records in governmental bodies across the state. The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act has lead to thousands of instances of public actions and meetings be opened to the public - ensuring that no important public decision or action can be made in secret. Other states followed Connecticut's pioneering efforts in this critical area.

"The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act has played a ground-breaking role in keeping the public aware of the actions of its elected and appointed leaders," said Colleen Murphy, Executive Director of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission. "It has been a model for other FOI legislation around the country. Bob Woodward's work makes him the perfect recipient of the honor of marking the 35th anniversary of this vital piece of protection of the public's interest."