Tips on Open Records from “FOILing Authority” Panelists, June 25
The June 25 panelists offered advice for journalists using government documents. Some of their tips:
Make use of the New York State Committee on Open Government, and pursue public records as part of your reporting. – Robert Freeman, executive director, New York State Committee on Open Government. His telephone: (518) 474-2518
Don’t rely only on FOIA to get documents. Cultivate your contacts and ask them to give you documents for your investigation. – David Barstow, investigative reporter, New York Times
The government writes everything down. – Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, investigative reporter, The Journal News
When you receive the documents, they may arrive in huge amounts of papers or boxes, and they always will be in random order. – David Barstow and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
When the government tries to redact information, it always screws up. This can mean information blacked out or excised from one part of the documents won’t be redacted in another part – and is there for the plucking. “Always be looking for these kinds of screw-ups.” – David Barstow
When a government official or agency refuses to turn over copies of records as required by law, that’s a news story about the public’s right to know. “The denial can be the story.” – Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
“It’s always good to go back and check up on them” – the people, money or project that was the target of your investigation. – Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
If you can make the investigation and reporting relevant to your readers’ daily lives, you will have an involved readership. “The more local you get, the more readers seem to care.” – Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
“It’s really important to do a lot of reporting before you run off and do your FOIA.” Become a student of the subject, and find out who the players are. Figure out how the system in question actually works. Then you can write an open-records request that is exact – and that intimidates the official who handles it. – David Barstow
Challenge, prod and sue the government, and shift the culture on government openness. – David Barstow