This is a 50-50 story if there ever was one. On the down side, very questionable fund-raising tactics from a group which represents itself has helping autistic kids nationwide. Plus, a blogger uses online resources to document and expose the misrepresentations.

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation has tried to raise money from North Carolina residents, which required a detailed filing with the Secretary of State’s office. That document — and the fact it was put online by the state — allowed autism activist Kathleen Seidel to piece together the foundation’s activities and relationships.

The N.C. site is “a gold mine of information on the business of fundraising,” Seidel writes, adding, “Start here, then go to New York for the tax exemption application, and you will have everything you need to document an organization’s federal and state filing history.”

This is why sunshine and disclosure — maximum disclosure as provided available technology — is so very important to a free and open society.

Bonus Observation: Quite the impressive bit of investigative journalism by a supposed amateur, no? Runs rings around the Uptown paper’s absurd — and predictably — award-winning poultry-plant of horror series. Seidel did journalism in the public interest, the Uptown reporters and editors merely cranked out copy pleasing to other reporters and editors.