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Introduction
— How to use ‘Open Doors’
— Introduction by Ian Marquand, SPJ FOI Chair
— Introduction by Helen Thomas
— Acknowledgements | Purchase Your Copy
How to use ‘Open Doors’
— FOI “Q &A.” These narratives (basics,
the courts, privacy,
your life) provide an overview to Freedom
of Information concepts and laws. These sections can be reprinted verbatim
as editorials or commentaries.
— FOI, the news and the community. This section includes a snapshot
of how important FOI is to daily news
coverage. Also included is a list of “Red
Flags” – warning signs of restricted access that should be
in the minds of journalists and other advocates of public access.
— FOI “A to Z.” To encourage more reporting on FOI issues,
included is an alphabetically-organized
list of specific subjects where FOI laws apply. Think of it as an FOI
“story tip sheet.”
— FOI resources. “Open Doors” is itself a doorway to other
FOI resources that offer more detailed and specific information.When you
need FOI resources, let “Open Doors” be your gateway.
— “Open Doors” logos and icons. All “Open
Doors” logos and icons may be downloaded and reproduced to make
it easy for visual media to flag FOI-related stories.
[Top]
Introduction by Ian Marquand, SPJ FOI Chair
There’s no question that Freedom of Information – the right of
Americans to have access to government records and meetings – is one of
the most important concepts of democracy in the United States. There’s
also no question that FOI is one of the most important areas of interest for
journalists and journalism organizations, as well as for other First Amendment
advocates.
In my years as a broadcast journalist, an advocate and organizer of FOI in
Montana, a state “Project Sunshine” chair for the Society of Professional
Journalists and, finally, as SPJ’s national Freedom of Information Committee
chair since 1999, I have found that people’s inquiries about FOI fall
into three categories:
—How FOI laws work. (And the distinctions between state and federal
laws.)
— How FOI laws or concepts apply to specific circumstances or subjects.
— Where more information on FOI can be found.
In creating this Freedom of Information resource, we at SPJ tried to address
those three areas. In addition, we had to come to grips with some practical
issues we knew would surround the finished product:
— It should be basic enough for people new to FOI, yet still be useful to
FOI veterans.
— Within the journalism and media sector, it should be relevant to upper level
managers, including publishers and broadcast station owners, as well as to
front-line reporters, editors and news directors.
— Outside of journalism, it should be relevant to civic organizations, “good
government” groups, politicians and government officials, even average
citizens without any previous experience with the concept of FOI.
What you have before you is the result of SPJ’s deliberations. Our ultimate
goal in producing this project is to increase the public visibility of FOI issues,
whether through journalism or other means. “Open Doors” has been
organized by sections. We hope you will find value in all of them. However,
even if you find just one particular section useful, that’s OK.
So, read the material, share it with your co-workers and associates and, most
important, use it!
Ian Marquand
SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chairman
[Top]
Introduction by Helen Thomas
Dear Friend of Freedom of Information:
What would our profession do without the ability to access information held
by government agencies? In other words, what would we do without state and federal
Freedom of Information laws?
Every day through newspapers, magazines, news broadcasts, Internet sites, newsletters
and other informational media, Americans learn about the operations of their
government. Yet many Americans do not realize how much of that information comes
from government documents, records and meetings.
In the best of all possible worlds public access to such information would be
a given. As James Madison recognized, “A popular government without popular
information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to Farce or Tragedy
or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean
to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.”
In reality, the media and citizens’ groups have fought long and hard to
gain access to government records and meetings. Experience has taught us that
open government is a “use it or lose it” proposition. Unless we
continue to assert our right, the public’s right of access, we will lose
it.
As a member of America’s news media, you are in the best position to educate
and inform Americans about the importance of their Freedom of Information laws.
You have the ability not only to report information gathered under FOI laws,
but to tell your audience where you got it, how you got it and why continued
public access to it is important.
I’m pleased that the Society of Professional Journalists has created the
Open Doors project to help all American media carry this important message to
readers, listeners, viewers and Web-surfers.
This is not a project specifically aimed at one medium or another. SPJ has worked
to make this project as inclusive and useful as possible for all media.
Please take the time to review this information, to share it with your staff
and to use the ideas and resources here to enhance your coverage of your community,
your state and your country.
Being knowledgeable about FOI is critical for us as journalists and information
providers; and it is equally critical for the citizens who turn to us when they
need to know.
Helen Thomas
Hearst Newspapers
[Top]
Acknowledgments
SPJ’s “Open Doors” project could not have been completed
without the assistance and input of the following people and organizations:
First, the project could not have been attempted without the financial support
of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation and its board of directors.
| Paul McMasters, President
Sue Porter, Vice-President
Steve Geimann, Secretary
Howard Dubin, Treasurer
David Boardman
Betsy Ashton
Fred Brown
David Carlson
Al Cross
Frank Gibson
Todd Gillman
Irwin Gratz
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G. Kelly Hawes
James Highland
Jane Kirtley
Robert Leger
Hoag Levins
Tony Mauro
Dori Maynard
Mac McKerral
Russell Pulliam
Paul Steinle
Georgianna Fry Vines |
Founded in 1961, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that
those who carry on the tradition of a free press are prepared for the challenge.
Its goal is to support the educational programs of the Society of Professional
Journalists and to serve the professional needs of journalists and students
pursuing careers in journalism.
Thanks also to the directors and executive officers of the Society of Professional
Journalists for their support of this concept.
The following individuals from within SPJ also made important contributions
to the development of this project.
— Robert Becker, SPJ’s “Project Sunshine” chair for Washington,
D.C.
— Charles Davis, SPJ’s FOI Committee co-chair and the director of the
FOI Center at the University of Missouri
— Al Cross, SPJ’s 2001-2002 president and a political reporter for the
Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal
— Julie Grimes, SPJ’s deputy executive director, Indianapolis
— Lisa Floreancig, SPJ intern, Indianapolis
— Kenney Marlatt, San Jose Mercury News
Thanks also to the following people, some of whom are leaders within SPJ as
well as within their own organizations, for their advice and leadership.
— Joe Adams, editorial writer, Jacksonville Times-Union
— Paul McMasters, First Amendment Ombudsman, The Freedom Forum
— Anders Gyllenhaal, 2001 FOI chair, American Society of Newspaper Editors
— Lucy Dalglish, executive director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the
Press
Special thanks to Investigative Reporters and
Editors, Inc. for its willingness to share examples of stories in which
FOI laws played a prominent role.
[Top]
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Open Doors: Accessing Government Records
Introduction
FOI Basics
FOI and the Courts
FOI and Privacy
FOI and Your Life
FOI and Daily News Coverage
Red Flags
FOI A to Z
Resources
Purchase a Copy
Freedom of Information
About/History
FOI Alerts
News/Articles
Covering Prisons
Project Sunshine: Find FOI Help
Accessing Government Records
Shield Law Campaign
FOI Audit Tookit | PDF
Anti-SLAPP: Protect Free Speech
Official Secrets Act bill
FOI Groups
Annual FOI Reports
FOI Committee Roster
Links/Resources
Message Board
FOI FYI:
SPJ's FOI Committee Blog
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• Got suggestions for FOI FYI blog content?
• Wisconsin AG says it's OK for police to release some information from motor vehicle records
FOI Committee
This committee is the watchdog of press freedoms across the nation. It relies upon a network of volunteers in each state organized under Project Sunshine. These SPJ members are on the front lines for assaults to the First Amendment and when lawmakers attempt to restrict the public's access to documents and the government's business. The committee often is called upon to intervene in instances where the media is restricted.
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