1. Making use of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act Making use of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act

2. The Approach  Planning, requesting and negotiating  Overcoming common denials  Tracking your newsrooms FOI requests

3. Documents and Databases Documents and Databases  Health  Environment  Weapons  Reports  Investigations  E-mail  Contracts

4. FOIA limitations FOIA limitations  Security and privacy exemptions  Does not apply to Congress  Does not apply to courts

5. Web sites and help  Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press – www.rcfp.org and www.rcfp.org/foi_lett.html www.rcfp.orgwww.rcfp.org/foi_lett.htmlwww.rcfp.orgwww.rcfp.org/foi_lett.html  Includes FOI letter generator  Investigative Reporters and Editors – www.ire.org/foi and www.ire.org/extraextra/archives www.ire.org/foi www.ire.org/extraextra/archives www.ire.org/foi www.ire.org/extraextra/archives  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 http://www.sej.org/foia/index  Find out what’s worked and hasn’t in its “Tip Sheet” and “FOI War Stories” pages

7.  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

8. 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

9. Overcoming denials  Check the Web or just ask  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  Get help from U.S. colleague  Court as a last resort

10. Guiding reporters  Create an FOI-oriented newsroom  An FOI every day  An FOI on every story  Filing FOIs early and often  Write about denials when appropriate

11. More IRE resources  IRE Resource Center: www.ire.org/resoucecenter/ www.ire.org/resoucecenter/  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