Posts by adam@ire.org
Unearthing a broken promise
By April Simpson, Pratheek Rebala and Alexia Fernández Campbell Every investigative journalist has been there. It’s early in an investigation, and the problem is the size of 27 football fields. That’s how much space the documents could cover if we laid them out. Where do we begin? That’s how we felt at the beginning of…
Read MoreMapping preventable death in “Bleeding Out”
By Lauren Caruba, The Dallas Morning News In the back of an ambulance in San Antonio, I watched as paramedics worked on a man they had pulled from a house with bullet-riddled windows and blood-smeared tiles. He had been shot twice, in the arm and chest. When I looked down at my shoes, I saw…
Read MoreInvestigating how loopholes and middlemen are breaking America’s H-1B visa system
By Jason Grotto, Bloomberg News In December 2023, with the migrant surge at the US-Mexico border dominating the national conversation, Bloomberg data investigations reporter Eric Fan was crafting a series of Freedom of Information Act requests that would crack open another problematic part of America’s immigration system — the skilled-worker visa program known as H-1B.…
Read MoreThe sun is setting on government transparency in Florida – and secrecy creep is affecting the rest of the US, too
By David Cuillier, Brechner Freedom of Information Project Florida, the “Sunshine State,” once known as a beacon of government transparency, is growing ever darker, and the clouds are spreading throughout the United States. From March 16-22, 2025, the nation celebrates the 20th anniversary of national Sunshine Week, which originated in Florida, historically home to the…
Read MoreSunshine Week calls attention to darkening skies over college campuses
By Amy Kristin Sanders, The Pennsylvania State University University employees engaged in sexual misconduct. Administrators misappropriating public funds. Scientists paid by industry groups to obtain desirable research outcomes. Wealthy donors influencing the admissions process. Open records laws have helped journalists and watchdog groups uncover these types of wrongdoing at universities around the country — but…
Read MoreSecrecy gives the government control. FOIA can restore the power imbalance
By Lauren Harper, Freedom of the Press Foundation Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, including denying or ignoring FOIA requests and deleting data from websites. These tactics prevent the public from meaningfully participating in self-government in every area secrecy touches, from domestic policy discussions on climate change, to foreign policy debates around international aid. Sunshine…
Read MoreStates of denial
By Megan Rhyne, Virginia Coalition for Open Government As the director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government – a 29-year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit devoted to helping the public navigate the ins and outs of access to state and local government records and meetings – I’m often asked which state has the best open records or…
Read MorePublic records revealed the truth about how my son was shot to death by police
By Sheila Albers “There was a Honda Odyssey minivan in the garage. As the door opened, the minivan backed up, toward the second officer who was standing directly behind it. The officer drew his sidearm. He shouted “STOP THE CAR” in a booming voice that was picked up by another officer’s in-car recording system a…
Read MoreThe quest for diversity evolves
By Francisco Vara-Orta, IRE & NICAR When I think about the future of diversity, belonging, equity and inclusion in the journalism industry in these uncertain times, I remind myself it’s nothing new to those who have studied and been a part of this work that has been going on for more than seven decades. DBEI…
Read MoreTrump 2.0
By David Cuillier, Brechner Freedom of Information Project Here we go again. And then some. The new presidential administration appears determined to conduct its work in secrecy, requiring even more diligence from investigative reporters. Eight years ago, I wrote an FOI Files column about the beginning of Donald J. Trump’s first term, noting agency clampdowns…
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