NEW YORK New York City's Fire Department must release audiotapes and transcripts of interviews conducted with firefighters who responded to the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it can withhold portions that could cause serious pain or embarrassment, the state's highest court ruled Thursday.
The ruling came in response to a Freedom of Information request by The New York Times. The newspaper wanted to examine tapes of 911 calls made from the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as interviews later conducted with firefighters for an oral history of the tragedy.
The decision by the Court of Appeals was part of a three-pronged ruling that also determined what portions of 911 calls and dispatch communications must be disclosed by the city.
Under the decision, the Fire Department would have to return to the state's trial-level court and argue on a case-by-case basis that specific statements by firefighters interviewed would cause pain or embarrassment.
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