WHY
WHY TRANSPARANCY IS SO IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. CHRISTIAN, THANK YOU.
AND SHE'S RIGHT ONE OF THE MOST
PIVOTAL COMPONENTS TO
ACCOUNTABILITY IS TRANSPARANCY
YOU CAN'T KNOW IF THINGS ARE
BEING DONE THE RIGHT WAY IF YOU
DON'T KNOW HOW THEY'RE BEING
DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SEE JOURNALISTS AS YOU KNOW WE
DON'T LIKE CLOSED DOOR MEETINGS
ESPECIALLY ONES ABOUT I DON'T
KNOW LET'S SAY WHO'S GETTING
THE VACCIEN NEXT AND WHO'S NOT
SEE OREGONS VACCIEN ADVISORY
COMMITTEE JUST ZOOMED ITS LAST
ZOOM IN A PRIVATE MEETING.
IN FACT THEIR LAST TWO MEETINGS
WERE INVITE ONLY AND YOU AND ME
WEREN'T ON THE GUEST LIST.
NOW TO REMIND YOU THIS IS THAT
GROUP OF PEOPLE MAKING
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE STATE
ABOUT WHO SHOULD GET THE
VACCIEN AND WHEN IT'S A MASSIVE
PANEL OF TWENTY SEVEN PEOPLE
THAT FILLS YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN
LIKE AN OREGONS VERSION
OF GUESS WHO WHICH MAY BE WHY
CARSON ASKED WHO EXACTLY IS ON
THE VIRUS VACCINE COMMITTEE.
WHY DON'T WE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE
TALKING ABOUT LIKE A TRANSCRIPT
OF THE MEETINGS.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR UP UNTIL
THIS WEEK WE DID KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT
BECAUSE THEY WERE STREAMING
THEIR MEETINGS LIVE.
YOU COULD TUNE IN AND WATCH
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. THEY RECORDED THEM.
YOU COULD WATCH THEM BACK.
THEY SENT OUT THE MINUTES AS
YOU WOULD EXPECT IN THIS
SITUATION BUT THEN THIS WEEK
FOR SOME REASON THEY DECIDED TO
STOP DOING WE SENT A PUBLIC
RECORDS REQUEST TO THE HEALTH
AUTHORITY TO TRY AND GET A COPY
OF TUESDAY'S CLOSED DOOR
MEETING.
MEETING.
MEETING. OSHA TOLD US QUOTE BECAUSE THIS
WAS AN EVALUATION DEBRIEFING.
THERE WAS NO RECORDING.
THEY ALSO SENT US A SINGLE PAGE
OF BULLET POINTS ON WHAT WAS
SUPPOSEDLY DISCUSSED IN THAT
MEETING.
MEETING.
MEETING. THE FIRST LINE SAYS
COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH NEED
TO COMBAT MISINFORMATION.
WELL, ONE WAY TO DO THAT MIGHT
BE I DON'T KNOW, NOT HOLD
SECRET MEETINGS ESPECIALLY
SINCE ONE OF THE PRIMARY GOALS
OF THE COMMITTEE WAS TO
ADVOCATE FOR UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITIES WHICH YOU
CONSISTENTLY DESCRIBED AS
PEOPLE WHO DON'T TRUST THE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THEN THIS MORNING WE HEARD THEY
WERE MEETING IN PRIVATE AGAIN
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. SO
TODAY. SO WE ASKED THIS TIME WE SAID
OKAY, CAN WE LISTEN IN PLEASE?
AND THEY TOLD US NO.
THEY ALSO SAID THIS IS NOT A
PUBLIC MEETING.
PUBLIC MEETING. IT'S AN UNOFFICIAL WRAP UP
BECAUSE THE VACCIEN WILL NOT
CONDUCT ANY BUSINESS AND THIS
IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING.
WE WILL NOT BE RECORDING TAKING
MINUTES OR DEVELOPING A
TRANSCRIPT.
TRANSCRIPT. SEE, THE COMMITTEE DID ALREADY
FINALIZE ITS RECOMMENDATIONS AT
THE END OF LAST MONTH AND SAID
THAT VACCIEN SHOULD GO TO
PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS FRONTLINE WORKERS,
PEOPLE IN CUSTODY AND PEOPLE
LIVING IN LOW INCOME AND GROUP
SENIOR HOUSING.
SENIOR HOUSING. SO THESE FINAL MEETINGS WERE
ABOUT THEY THEY WERE ABOUT THE
NOBODY >> KNOWS WHICH IS THE
POINT OF THIS.
THERE ARE LAWS ABOUT GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES KEEPING YOU IN THE
DARK THIS WAY.
AND I TALKED TO LAW PROFESSOR
PAUL DILLER ABOUT THE LEGALITY
OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
>> THE LAW DOES HAVE EXEMPTIONS
FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF RECORDINGS
OR RECORDS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO
PROTECT PRIVACY OR OPERATIONS
OF GOVERNMENT THAT THE
LEGISLATURE SHOULD REMAIN
SECRET.
SECRET.
SECRET. I'M NOT AWARE OF A POST
RECOMMENDATION DEBRIEFING
RECOMMENDATION DEBRIEFING EXEMPTION TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS
LAW THOUGH.
LAW THOUGH. YOU KNOW >>, WE'RE NOT ACCUSING
ANYBODY OF DOING ANYTHING
SINISTER BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
BUT JUST THE IDEA THAT THE
DOORS WERE CLOSED MAKES ME AS A
JOURNALIST FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE
>>.
>>.
>>. I
>>. I >>
>>. I >> UNDERSTAND.
SO THEN THIS WOULD FALL UNDER
PERHAPS A LOOPHOLE IN THE
PUBLIC RECORD SYSTEM BECAUSE
THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW ITSELF
DOESN'T NECESSARILY REQUIRE
THAT EVERY MEETING BE RECORDED
IN NORMAL TIMES.
I THINK BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
MEET IN PLACES WHERE THE PUBLIC
CAN GET IN.
BUT WHAT'S DIFFERENT HERE >> IS
THAT THIS WAS A ZOOME CALL SO
ONLY TAKING PLACE VIRTUALLY
AND UNLESS YOU HAVE THE
PASSWORD YOU COULDN'T JOIN IN.
SO >> SOME PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY
GOING TO HEAR THIS AND THINK
THIS IS KIND OF INSIDE BASEBALL
TV JOURNALIST PEOPLE MAKING A
STINK ABOUT SOMETHING TO PUT
THEIR FOOT DOWN BASED ON
TRANSPARANCY AND WHATNOT.
BUT DO YOU HAVE >> A TAKE ON
KIND OF THE BIGGER PICTURE
OF KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON
PUBLIC BODIES TO BE TRANSPARENT
WITH THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE?
>> TO ME THIS ISN'T INSIDE
BASEBALL AT ALL.
THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND
OF CONCERN WE HAVE WHEN IT
COMES TO PUBLIC RECORDS
AND PUBLIC RECORDS ADVOCACY >>
.
.
. NOW
. NOW I
. NOW I WANT TO CIRCLE BACK TO
CARSON'S QUESTION THAT WE READ
A LITTLE BIT AGO.
HE HE ALSO ASKED WHO EXACTLY IS
ON THIS VACCIEN ADVISORY
COMMITTEE?
COMMITTEE? WELL, WE SHOWED YOU THE TWENTY
SEVEN PEOPLE TO ZOOM'S THERE
BUT THEY COME FROM DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATION.
ORGANIZATION. THOSE INCLUDE PEOPLE FROM
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS,
PRIVATE HEALTH CLINICS LIKE
PROVIDENCE ADVENTIST HEALTH
NONPROFITS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS
LIKE THE COUNCIL ON
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND GROUPS REPRESENTING
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR THE OREGON
PACIFIC ISLANDER COALITION
AND PC YOU AND WHICH IS A
LATINO LABOR UNION.
I GOT A CHANCE TO TALK TO ONE
OF THOSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
TODAY FROM THE SOMALI AMERICAN
COUNCIL OF OREGON WHO ACTUALLY
WONDERS IF THEIR WORK
EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE DONE,
ALL OF THESE MEETINGS AND ALL
THE CONTROVERSY THAT WENT ALONG
WITH THEM WILL ACTUALLY MAKE A
REAL DIFFERENCE >>.
IS THERE CONCERN THAT THERE
WON'T BE FOLLOW UP WITH THIS
GROUP OR THAT THE THE THINGS
THAT YOU DISCUSSED OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL WEEKS WON'T >> BE
IMPLEMENTED IN A WAY THAT YOU
HOPE THAT THEY ARE?
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVE A CONCERN ESSPECIALLY
SOMEBODY FROM THE BLACK
COMMUNITY WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED
OR PEPOLE COMMUNITY SPIRIT
AND STUFF NOT GETTING THE
SERVICE SO UNDERSERVED
ESPECIALLY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
WE DON'T WANT TO START
SOMETHING AND JUST LEAVE IT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. IT'S AS FAR AS THE SUCCESS
SUCCESS KIND OF DEFINED
DIFFERENTLY SUCCESS WOULD BE
ULTIMATELY WHEN ALL OREGONIANS
ARE CURED CURED OF VACINATED
AND AND AND KORBY NINETEENS OUT
THE DOOR BUT UNTIL WE GET THAT
I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN CALL
ANYTHING A SUCCESS AT THIS
POINT >>.
POINT >>.
POINT >>. HE ALSO TOLD >> ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE PRIVATE MEETINGS.
I WAS CURIOUS I ASKED HE SAID
THAT OF COURSE THERE WAS
NOTHING REALLY CONTROVERSIAL IN