From the Legal Hotline

By Teri Henning, General Counsel; Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Can I make school officials answer my questions at a public meeting?

A: Probably not. There is no provision in the Sunshine Act that requires public officials to answer questions posed by audience members. The Act requires agencies to give the public a reasonable opportunity to comment on matters that are or may be before the board – it doesn’t specifically require an answer. There is also no law that requires public officials to talk to the media outside of a public meeting. There are certain Constitutional protections for those who choose to speak, but no law requiring them to do so. Of course, talking to the media and answering questions benefits both public agencies and the public they serve – so many public officials have and maintain a good dialogue with members of the media.

If you are not getting satisfactory answers from the agency, there may be a document or documents that would give you the information that you are seeking. Agencies are required to respond to open records requests in writing, so you may want to submit a Right to Know request. View a sample Right to Know request letter: [CLICK HERE]

If you have any questions, or need additional information, please call your newspaper’s lawyer or the PNA’s Legal Hotline at (717) 703-3080.

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PNA Legal Hotline: (717) 703-3080