The Public Records Officer Podcast
The Public Records Officer Podcast
Fighting for the People’s Right to Know.
From public records battles to quiet cover-ups, from deleted chats to documents they hoped you’d never see... The Public Records Officer Podcast (PROP) exposes the ways power hides from the people it serves.
Hosted by open government advocate, a former elected official, state government public information officer and communications director Jamie Nixon, this show pulls back the curtain on the tactics used by public agencies to avoid transparency, and highlights the citizens, journalists, and legal warriors fighting back.
Season One investigates the ontologically shocking story of how Washington State agencies used Microsoft Teams to automatically delete public records after just seven days, raising questions of legality, accountability, and who gets to decide what the public has a right to see.
Each episode blends documents, depositions, interviews, and digital trails with sharp commentary and a sense of civic urgency. Whether it’s a modified invoice, redacted emails, or a policy crafted to vanish before a subpoena hits... The PROP is here to shine a light where the law demands it.
Featuring interviews with journalists, attorneys, and the officials who tried to sound the alarm before it was too late.
The truth doesn’t expire in seven days.
The Public Records Officer Podcast
Ep. 14 Get It Gone 2: The Bureaucracy Strikes Back
In our last episode, we exposed the alleged destruction and withholding of public records inside OMWBE. This case was documented through emails, chats, and timelines of their Public Records Officer.
This week, we widen the lens.
The allegations didn’t disappear.
In this sequel episode, we break down the Attorney General’s stunning non-response to a credible felony report, the structural conflicts that leave public records officers defenseless, and the systemic incentives that now reward secrecy over compliance. We examine how the very institutions meant to enforce Washington’s transparency laws have quietly positioned themselves as defense counsel for the agencies accused of wrongdoing.
If you care about public records, government accountability, whistleblower protections, or simply want to understand why Washington’s transparency system keeps failing, this episode walks you through the uncomfortable truth: there is no functioning enforcement mechanism for records-destruction felonies in this state.
And the people who report them often pay the price.
Full transcript and all cited documents: thepublicrecordsofficer.com.
Transcript + Source Docs:
Get the full hyperlinked transcript and all documents referenced in this episode:
thepublicrecordsofficer.com
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About WashCOG:
The Washington Coalition for Open Government (WashCOG) fights for transparency and accountability in Washington State. Learn more:
washcog.org
Tip of the hat to the musicians who created the music used on the show: Alex Grohl, Ian Post, Jakub Pietras, lumine wave, Roberto Pravo, Solis, ...