2008 - The Arizona Press Club's Annual First Amendment Disservice Award, known as "The Brick Wall Award," recognizes the public official or institution which most brazenly ignores the state's public records law. The public records law is a vital tool for journalists to check abuses of power, hold our elected servants accountable and monitor the spending of public dollars. All records of government agencies and officials are supposed to be open to public inspection, except for a few areas exempted by law. Unfortunately, there's never a shortage of bureaucrats and government officials who don't believe the law applies to them, so it takes truly outrageous and arrogant conduct to come out on top.

In 2008, the Arizona Press Club board renamed the brick the "Arpaio First Amendment Disservice Award" in "honor" of the guy who's perfected the art of blowing off public records requests from any reporter who dares to question him. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is such a chronic First Amendment violator that it just didn't seem fair to give him the award again, despite numerous worthy nominations.

Because public records are important to all of us, and because we've all been stonewalled at one time or another, the press club board needs your help in selecting each year's "winners." Anyone can make a nomination, but the best way to make sure that your selection wins is to provide solid detail: What the request was, how long your nominees delayed, and any other measures they took to stand in the way of openness in government. Keep a record and let us know, nominations are accepted towards the first part of the year, for "awarding" at the annual awards banquet in May.

Yes! we give 'em a real brick! Dennis Joyce (right), past president of Arizona Press Club, presents brick awards to the City of Glendale and The Chandler Police Department at the 2004 awards banquet, Phoenix, Ariz.