COVID-19 Leads To Burst Of Info, But Some Data Blocked In New Jersey

CBS Philadelphia

March 14, 2021

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — While New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has pledged to be transparent throughout the coronavirus pandemic, his administration has denied or slowly responded to requests for records related to spending, communications and decision-making. Sunshine Week, an annual focus on press freedoms and the fight for government transparency, comes a year after the state marked its first positive case and, soon after that, the first death from the virus.

The pandemic has sparked an explosion of public data, yielding a sprawling COVID-19 website, updated daily with data and other information — including the numerous executive orders over the past year — created by Murphy’s office and the state’s health department.

Broad requests for COVID-19-related spending have also been answered, but the administration has blocked information from the public.

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