Statement about Authorship

The Brown University team posing next to a strangely appropriate sign outside of the Cranston Library, site of the press conference held to release the report.  Pictured from left to right: Seth Andrew, Katherine Cheng, Patrick "Scuffy" MacRoy, Erin Hooks, Sarah Coburn, Arthi Krishnaswami, Prof. Ross "Coach" Cheit, Kate Weisburd, and Robert Taylor.

This study originated in April 1997 with eight students from the Introduction to Public Policy course at Brown University. Those students, working under the supervision of Professor Ross Cheit, created an Independent Study project to focus on Freedom of Information in Rhode Island’s cities and towns. They researched the topic and designed this study in the first six weeks of the Fall Semester.

Seventeen students from the Public Affairs Reporting course at the University of Rhode Island collaborated in the research from mid-October through the end of the semester in December. Those students, working under the supervision of Professor Linda Levin, conducted the fieldwork in 23 cities and towns, and they wrote narrative accounts for each jurisdiction. They also edited the narratives for all of the cities and towns.

The Brown students conducted fieldwork in 16 cities and towns, and they wrote narrative accounts for each jurisdiction. They did follow-up fieldwork in about a dozen jurisdictions in December and January to resolve various questions from the original research. These students also constructed the database, analyzed the data, and wrote the report.

Students at Brown University, under the supervision of Prof. Ross Cheit:

Seth A. G. Andrew
Katherine Cheng
Sarah Coburn
Erin G. Hooks
L. Arthi Krishnaswami
Patrick M. MacRoy
Robert Taylor
Kate Weisburd

Students at the University of Rhode Island, under the supervision of Prof. Linda Levin:

Elizabeth Barker
Elaine Koritsas
Matthew Cotnoir
Jaime Lagor
Marrecca Delicato
Patrick Luce
Dana DiTullio
Kerry McCartney
Shane Donaldson
Veronica Mullaly
Joshua Feinstein
Matthew Taylor
Jonathan Herman
Lyn Trainor
Sara Hoye
Bridget Wiemels
Amy Knight

Various members of the ACCESS/RI Board of Directors provided suggestions and comments during the research and writing phases. But neither the organization nor any of its board members (other than Professors Cheit and Levin) participated in any editorial decisions.

Acknowledgements

Dave Gray of the Society for News Design for assistance with design and production. Arthi Krishnaswami of Brown University for the design and production of the report.

Jack Combs of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy & American Institutions at Brown University for friendly and expert computer assistance, advice and support.

Jane Austin, a Teaching Assistant in the Political Science Department at Brown, for thoughtful and useful input into the design of the study and the analysis of the results.

The Board of Directors of ACCESS/RI, for encouragement, suggestions and advice along the way.

Special thanks to Staci Sawyer, Steve Brown, and Tom Heslin for advice and assistance at several critical stages of the project.

Financial Support

ACCESS/RI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing Freedom of Information in Rhode Island, provided financial support for the research costs incurred by the students (gas, tolls, photocopying) and towards printing the final report. The A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy & American Institutions at Brown University, and the Department of Journalism at the University of Rhode Island, also supported this research.

 

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