McKee orders refunds after RIDOT charges news outlets for bridge docs

“Given the extraordinary public interest in the bridge debacle it made no sense that RIDOT charged any media outlets for the records."

This article originally appeared in WPRI on February 1, 2024 and was written by Ted Nesi and Tim White.  

“Given the extraordinary public interest in the bridge debacle it made no sense that RIDOT charged any media outlets for the records,” said John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, one of the groups pushing for changes.

“It made even less sense that they charged various amounts to different media outlets,” he said. “Government decisions shouldn’t be made in an arbitrary and capricious manner. It’s never too late to do the right thing by refunding the fees they charged the media, but the decision to charge in the first place served only one purpose, to prevent the public from knowing the full story of the Washington Bridge.”

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