When Tom Blanchard wanted to learn more about controversial murals at the University of Idaho, he filed a public records request. The university responded that the records were available. But first, Blanchard would have to pay a bill: $18,078.11. “They discouraged me from gaining access to public records, and it worked,” said Blanchard, chairman of the board of trustees for the Idaho State Historical Society and a former history teacher. Blanchard is not alone in facing daunting fees in order to gain access to public information from the university. From January to October this year, the university received 57 public records requests; 10 of those resulted in fees that ranged from $64 to nearly $90,000/Caitlin Tompkins & Sarah Steger, Morrow News Service. More here.

Question: Obviously, there's something very wrong here. Thoughts?