Must read FOI stories – 7/25/14
Every week I do a roundup of the freedom of information stories around the Web. If you have an FOI story you want to share, send me an email or tweet me. TOP MUST READ: How an activist journalist’s...
View ArticleAsk an expert: How to appeal a FOIA rejection
Over and over again, I hear journalists complain about being rejected by government agencies when making Freedom of Information Act requests and how difficult it is to successfully file an appeal. So...
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Know your hometown: Small stories make the biggest difference.
The majority of my posts this summer will focus on federal environmental agencies, laws and policies. However, for most journalists, we are far more likely to report local news: the pollution-producing...
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Are we out of the woods yet? The FOIA fight with the U.S. Forest Service
Nature-lover or not, almost every child in America can recognize Smokey the Bear, the iconic ursine emblem of the U.S. Forest Service. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of efforts...
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Guilty by Omission: Tristram Korten and FCIR Investigate What Florida’s DEP...
It started off as a passing complaint from a former contractor with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; the word “climate change” was taboo. The contractor had been hired to write...
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Judging the Freedom of Information Act in environmental court
One misstep, one decision, one instant can unleash consequences that last a lifetime. Consider April 20, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion created an environmental catastrophe in the...
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The flow of information: Reporting on water in the west
Abrahm Lustgarten, an energy and environment reporter at ProPublica, had a seat right on the battle lines of the Western Water Wars. Having previously lived in a small town on the Colorado River, he...
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14 Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics that Are Actually About FOI
Illustration by Michael Koretzky, SPJ Region 3 Director In these dark times—coming out of an anti-access administration and right into a an anti-press administration—we journalists may benefit from...
View ArticleYes, filing a lot of FOIA requests is normal and good reporting
Aurora, Illinois Police Chief Kristen Ziman recently wrote on her blog: “If reputable and respected journalists respond and tell me that it is perfectly normal to file FOIA requests for the sake of...
View ArticleNeed FOIA help?
Filed a federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, but ran into a few bumps? The Society of Professional Journalists wants to help. We know the process can be challenging, frustrating and...
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