The 'Black Hole' award is for a rule removing court documents from access.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A statewide group gave the Oklahoma Supreme Court its "Black Hole" award Monday for a recent rule removing court documents from online access.

Freedom of Information Oklahoma also cited the high court's decision to remove personal identifiers from public documents.

"Unfortunately, open government and the specifics of our own laws are not taught in high school, so very few Oklahomans have any idea what they're entitled to when it comes to open government," said Joey Senat, FOI Oklahoma's past president.

"In a democracy you need an informed electorate, and also, to have government accountability, you need public access," he said. "It starts with the public being aware of that right."

Justices voting for the rule were Chief Justice James R. Winchester, Tom Colbert, Rudolph Hargrave and John Reif. Justice Steven Taylor dissented while Yvonne Kauger and Vice Chief Justice James Edmondson dissented in part.

Also, the group awarded retired newspaper executive Ben Blackstock, who spent decades pressing for openness in government, with an Oklahoma Freedom of Information Award named in his honor.

FOI Oklahoma presented its first awards at the Capitol in an effort to recognize the work of government workers and private citizens in promoting openness in public re cords and meetings.

The Oklahoma Senate Communications Division and Information Systems Department won FOI Oklahoma's Sunshine Award for providing streaming video online from the Senate Chamber and committee rooms.

Blackstock, 82, of Oklahoma City, was manager of the Oklahoma Press Association for 44 years before retiring in 1995.

Blackstock said his namesake award should go to "a plain citizen who has taken an interest in raising hell locally, and wherever else, to keep the records open and to keep the meetings open."

State open records laws aren't just for the press and were never intended to be solely for reporters, he said.

"If we don't have a lot of help from the citizens and voters out there, then it's looked upon as something for the news media and reporters," he said. "That's not what it is; it's far more than that."

Malia Bennett, Senate communications director, and John Warren, Senate Infor mation Systems director, received the Sunshine Award for their work to provide access to government by linking Oklahomans to the Senate via online audio and video. Bennett and Warren have also worked to provide digital audio, floor votes, and access to legislation, schedules, and publications.

Honorable mentions for the Sunshine Award went to Rep. Randy McDaniel, R-Oklahoma City, whose first bill as a freshman legislator was the Openness and Transparency Act of 2007, which requires full disclosure of all Oklahoma tax expenditures and receipts online.

Honorable mentions for the Blackstock Award went to Shannon Duhon and Krista Duhon, publisher and managing editor, respectively, of the Miami News-Record, and Mark Thomas, the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Press Association.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Angel Riggs (405) 528-2465
angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com