Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Town studies logistics needed to broadcast public meetings | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Not sure what the problem is here. The Town of Palm Beach recently re-did all of their Town Hall including the Council Chambers. According to this article, they already have cameras there and the ability to stream video. Not sure what the hang up is. I know that when City Manager Bornstein got here, a simple webcam was installed in the Chambers just for this purpose. Click title for link to article. Here's what an expert says about the benefits of video streaming and archiving.
Kevin Wagner, associate professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, said he thinks televising or web-streaming live video of public meetings can boost officials’ accountability.
“We do work under the assumption that greater visibility of political activity is a good thing, that’s the foundation of the Sunshine law,” he said. “Political figures are much more cognizant of this kind of exposure and are a little more careful when the cameras are on them.”
The benefit, however, depends upon whether people are watching on line, he said. Archiving these visual records adds another layer of accountability.
“That also has an opening effect because members know that someone can look back on what happened a year ago. When you create a record of political activity, you create greater awareness among political figures and actors to be careful about the things they say and do,” Wagner said.