The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Posts Tagged ‘public records’
IRE seeks Department of Justice records on surveillance of news organizations
The revelation last month that the Department of Justice seized phone records from the Associated Press turned out to be just the begining of major disclosures about government surveillance, which according to recent reports includes mass collection of phone and internet server data by the National Security Agency. But the Department of Justice surveillance targeting…
Read MoreLast week for Golden Padlock nominations
Investigative Reporters & Editors has launched a new award — dubbed the Golden Padlock — recognizing the most secretive publicly-funded agency or person in the United States. It is calling on journalists and the public for worthy nominees, and sumbissions are due by the end of the week. “This honor acknowledges the dedication of government officials working…
Read MoreFOIA request to CDC took five years to fulfill
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers itself to be one of the nation’s foremost scientific institutions, dedicated to transparency and evidence-driven policies. It is fair, therefore, to ask this question: What happens when the CDC brazenly ignores the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), taking more than five years to fulfill a journalist’s information…
Read MoreIRE seeks nominations for inaugural government secrecy award
Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc. is launching a new award — dubbed the Golden Padlock — recognizing the most secretive publicly-funded agency or person in the United States. It is calling on journalists and the public for worthy nominees. “This honor acknowledges the dedication of government officials working tirelessly to keep vital information hidden from…
Read MoreState Department reverses position, makes comments on Keystone XL available to public
Reversing a position announced in March, the U.S. Department of State has stated it will make public the more than 800,000 comments submitted to date regarding the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. In March, John H. Cushman reported for InsideClimate News that the State Department would not make public the public comments it received during the drafting…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How Gannett Wisconsin Media gathered salary data from cities, counties and state agencies
In the wake of the budget reforms proposed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in 2011, known as Wisconsin Act 10, Eric Litke of the Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team felt the public debate over salary was all rhetoric with little factual backing. In February, Litke tried to change the public dialog by publishing the salary data…
Read MoreFear drives lack of public access in Maine
By Judy Meyer Maine is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to public access. Blame technology. The very computer systems and databases created to improve the flow of information and ease public access are now being held up, by lawmakers, as troublesome portals to be sealed shut in the interest of personal privacy.…
Read MoreBehind 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 MoreWhat journalists can learn from this year’s Sunshine Week
Journalists don’t need more reason to celebrate public records, but Sunshine Week provides a time for swapping tips and tricks, successes and horror stories. The EditorialMatters blog in Iowa spent the week posting tips like advice on requesting records, finding stories in those records, and avoiding all-too-common mistakes. Watchdog Wire shared their own tips on…
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…
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