Archive director featured speaker at First Amendment conference

Sunday, October 31st 2004, 5:23 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The director of the National Security Archive will discuss how access to information has changed since the war on terrorism began at the sixth annual First Amendment Congress in November.

Tom Blanton will show how federal agencies have scrutinized Freedom on Information requests since Sept. 11, 2001 and how First Amendment rights have been affected.

John Tinker, whose civil rights case in 1965 went to the U.S. Supreme Court which extended First Amendment protection to nonviolent student protest, will also be a presenter at the conference.

A panel of media representatives and emergency personnel will also discuss how information would dispersed if a disaster like the Oklahoma City bombing happened today.

Panelists will also discuss the Oklahoma Legislature and its self-exemption from the Open Meetings Act.

The conference is Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 at the Oklahoma City University's Meinders School of Business.

For more information or registration call the Oklahoma Library Association at (405) 348-0506.