1. Freedom of Information and Open Records Freedom of Information and Open Records David Donald IRE and NICAR Western Knight Center, April 21, 2005

2. Overview  Documents and databases to seek  Resources for your newsroom  Tracking your newsrooms FOI requests  Planning, requesting and negotiating  Overcoming common denials  FOI frame of mind

3. Documents and Databases Documents and Databases  Public employee salaries  Accidents  Inspections  Audits  Disciplinary records, worker disputes  Investigations  E-mail  Disclosure reports  Contracts

4. Documents and Databases Documents and Databases  Education  Tax records  Property records  Government seizures  Inventories  Purchases  Expenses

5. Web sites and help  Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press – www.rcfp.org and http://www.rcfp.org/foi_letter/generate.php www.rcfp.org http://www.rcfp.org/foi_letter/generate.phpwww.rcfp.org http://www.rcfp.org/foi_letter/generate.php  Includes FOI letter generator  Investigative Reporters and Editors – www.ire.org/foi and http://www.ire.org/extraextra/archives.html www.ire.org/foi http://www.ire.org/extraextra/archives.html www.ire.org/foi http://www.ire.org/extraextra/archives.html  Organizes resources and stories based on open records  Missouri School of Journalism FOI Center – http://foi.missouri.edu/~foiwww/ http://foi.missouri.edu/~foiwww/  Offers excellent, easy-to-find links

6. Web sites and help  Society for Professional Journalists Open Doors FOI resource – http://www.spj.org/foia_opendoors.asp http://www.spj.org/foia_opendoors.asp  Use its “A-Z” guide to find subject information quickly  Society of Environmental Journalists – http://www.sej.org/foia/index.htm http://www.sej.org/foia/index.htm  Find out what’s worked and hasn’t in its “Tip Sheet” and “FOI War Stories” pages

7. Tracking FOIs  Keeping a log of requests  Document or database requested?  Date and Time?  How requested – Fax, E-mail, Snail mail?  Who was contacted?  Who contacted?  Response?  Careful follow-up

8.  Who has the record?  Who do they share it with?  Has it been released before?  The law and possible exemptions?  What information is needed for the story?  How much time do you have? Planning, Negotiating

9. Overcoming denials  Just ask  Check the Web  Asking for a single record  Going to a different agency  Going up a management level  Getting details on expenses  Narrowing the request  Planning for redaction  Knowing the law, planning the appeal  Court as a last resort

10. FOI Frame of Mind  Create an FOI-oriented newsroom  An FOI every day  An FOI on every story  Filing FOIs early and often  Write about denials when appropriate  Explain the usefulness of public records – protecting the public

11. More IRE resources  IRE Resource Center: http://www.ire.org/resourcecenter/ http://www.ire.org/resourcecenter/  Contest forms with FOI questions  More than 2,000 tip sheets from IRE and NICAR conferences  Searchable database of more than 20,000 stories, both print and broadcast

12. More IRE resources  Training opportunities at http://www.ire.org/training/ http://www.ire.org/training/  Better Watchdog Workshops for more on investigative techniques  NICAR boot camps  IRE membership is the key at http://www.ire.org/membership http://www.ire.org/membership

13. Where it begins