Posts Tagged ‘FOIA’
Behind the Story: Simple math reveals errors in lucrative speed camera system
This car received a ticket from a Baltimore area camera while stopped at a red light. This case was one of the errors uncovered in the Baltimore Sun’s series on red light cameras. The Baltimore Sun’s investigation of red light cameras over the past year prompted changes to the system a city task force to…
Read MoreLa Nacion efforts bring open data to Argentina
After taking an introductory data journalism course, a small group in Argentina set out to transform the way data journalism was done in their country, a country where data was barely updated, let alone public. They fought for open data and analyze it in the public interest. The result of their efforts is La Nacion…
Read MoreDraft bill would create single portal for records requests
Bloomberg reports today that two lawmakers in the U.S. House plan to release a draft bill that would create a single portal for federal records requests. According to draft legislation obtained by Bloomberg, the bill would put the burden on the fedreal government to prove why information should be withheld if requested under the Freedom of…
Read MoreData journalism around the globe
Need a vacation but can’t imagine the outer darkness that is you without your work? Why not take it with you to exotic northern Europe. In “Data Journalism Around the Globe” panelists trotted out some of the best data projects coming from our cousins on the continent in the German, Danish and Scandinavian press. Many…
Read MoreFOIA Machine offers web platform for managing open record requests
FOIA Machine is a new open-source web platform to manage your open records requests. It’s aimed to help you get what you want from your request, avoid being ignored and appeal when you are denied. “It’s aimed to help you get what you want from your request, avoid being ignored and appeal when you are denied”,…
Read MoreUsing DocumentCloud, FOIA Project to track requests, responses by agency
The FOIA Project has documented more evidence of what its staff calls apparent failure of the Obama administration to fulfill transparency promises, and an upcoming expansion of the project could be a step toward establishing definitive evidence regarding the administration’s level of transparency. At the end of December, the DocumentCloud-powered venture from the Transactional…
Read MoreSan Antonio withholds employee identifiers, with backing from Attorney General
By Joe Yerardi Back in September, I filed a public records request with the City of San Antonio asking for their last five years of payroll data. When I received the responsive records earlier this month, I was surprised to find that the data did not include employee identification numbers. As any data journalist worth…
Read MoreCourt dismisses FOIA lawsuit, upholds secrecy in drone killings of U.S. citizens
A federal court in Manhattan yesterday dismissed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit involving both The New York Times and the American Civil Liberties Union, who each sued the United States Department of Justice over records regarding the targeted drone killing of U.S. citizens Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan and Al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son Abdulrahman in the…
Read MoreIRE & NICAR Office Holiday Schedule
Most of our staff will be in and out of the office during the holidays from Thursday 12/20 through Wednesday 1/2. If you need assistance, please e-mail or leave a voice mail and your call will be answered as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience during this time.
Read MoreBehind the Story: A source comes forward in the backlog of veterans’ disability
In April, Jamie Fox contacted reporter Aaron Glantz after losing her job at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Oakland office in 2008. Credit: Michael Short/Center for Investigative Reporting. Aaron Glantz of the Center for Investigative Reporting was reporting on delays in veterans’ disability claims in Oakland, Calif. when a reader reached out to him. Jamie…
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