Brechner News

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, in partnership with MuckRock, has named the winners of the inaugural Sunshine Fest 2025 Logo and Slogan Contest.

A recent study published in the Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology examined how government efficiency, transparency, and accountability in Afghanistan can enhance entrepreneurship.

A proposed change to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has hit a roadblock after concerns raised by Fairfax County officials prompted state lawmakers to reconsider the bill.

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) has awarded the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award to St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and The Marshall Project for their collaborative investigative project, “Unsolved.”

A recent study in Indonesia highlights frustrations like those reported by public records requesters in the United States.

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award, presented by the Student Press Law Center and sponsored by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida. The award honors students or student teams whose investigative reporting has promoted transparency and highlighted important issues in their school or community in the previous year.  

After more than three decades of resolving disputes over public access to records, the Utah Legislature may soon consider a bill that would dismantle the State Records Committee. 

Published in the latest issue of the Government Information Quarterly, the survey, led by Mary Feeney of Arizona State University, found that city department heads were generally in favor of releasing public records such as restaurant inspection reports and real estate transactions.

A new bill is making its way through the Wisconsin State Legislature that could bring the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) under the state’s public records and open meetings laws.

The seventh annual Freedom of Information Research Competition, sponsored by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and University of Florida Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, welcomes one-page proposals for papers that shed light on freedom of information. 

The tool allows anyone for free to see what bills are proposed in any state, Congress, and Washington, D.C., that are related to public records and open meeting laws. The Secrecy Tracker employs machine learning to help sift out false positives and capture bills that may not include relevant keywords but still relate to transparency. 

According to reporting from Bridge Michigan, Hall told reporters, "You're not going to see fast action on the FOIA stuff from me in the House,” he said. “You're just not."