A nationwide professional journalism organization recently awarded the Utah State Legislature with its highest dishonor award for undermining open government and transparency — for a second time.
The Black Hole Award, which is meant to “highlight the most heinous violations of the public’s right to know,” according to the Society of Professional Journalists, went to the Beehive State’s lawmakers for 2025. It also earned the national award in 2011.
“The legislature has clearly violated the public’s right to know, and as a two-time recipient of this ‘award,’ it serves as a reminder to journalists to keep holding those in government accountable,” said Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chair.
Legislators earned the ironic award, according to SPJ, by amending the state’s open records law in an attempt to reduce governemnt accountability and limit public access to withheld records.
“Despite court orders, the Utah legislature continues to block public access to critical records,” Spotted Bear said. “These actions convey a clear disregard for transparency and pave the way for unchecked government actions.”
During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers passed SB277, a law that changed who decides the outcome of public record disputes. Instead of a seven-person committee deciding the outcome of appeals, it will now be a single administrative law judge, to be appointed by the governor. Additionally, lawmakers also passed HB 69, which makes access more expensive for residents. The law does not allow Utans to recover legal fees from challenging the government for public records – even if they win. A move that SPJ suggests will discourage those with limited financial resources from pursuing and accessing withheld records that are presumed to be public.
The changes to Utah’s open records law will also inhibit reporters and news organizations from obtaining records on behalf of the public.
“Public records law is not supposed to devolve into a game of cat-and-mouse played by the press and government officials,” said Emma Penrod, president of the SPJ Utah Headliners Chapter.The actions taken by the Utah state legislature over the past three years will prevent Utahns from all walks of life–but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable populations–from accessing information about how their local government operates, impairing their ability to participate in the democratic process.”
SPJ also highlighted two other instances where the legislature voted in 2022 to prevent the release of Garrity statements, which are employee statements that are given as part of a governmental entity’s investigation involving possible wrongdoing. In 2023, lawmakers made a law hiding public officials’ digital calendars as a public record. This followed journalists requests for access to then Attorney General Sean Reyes’ calendar. Even though appeals led to the courts ordering the release, the new law blocked access.
This is not the first time SPJ has bestowed the national award to Utah. In 2011, SPJ awarded the Utah Legislature and Governor Gary Herbert with the Black Hole Award. Also, the SPJ Utah Headliners Chapter, awarded a state-level version of the Black Hole Award to Utah’s lawmakers back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.
“The ensuing absence of public scrutiny will increase the likelihood of wasteful government spending. Utah cannot be ‘the best run state’ and the most secretive state at the same time; these goals are inherently exclusive of one another,” Penrod said.
The annual award is announced every year during Sunshine Week, a national initiative and nonpartisan collaboration between groups in journalism, civic, education, government, and private sectors, meant to raise awareness and shine a light on freedom of information.