Brechner FOI Project

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications seeks a part-time contractor working remote to help coordinate national Sunshine Week in March 2027 and the Sunshine Fest conference in Washington, D.C. Contractors in the Washington, D.C., area are preferred, but…

Bloomberg News senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold said this week that if denied public records, always appeal. Leopold visited the University of Florida Monday to accept the 2026 Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award. Leopold talked with about 40 students in the College of Journalism and Communications, as well…

We mourn the loss of Diana Fuentes, a longtime champion of journalism and freedom of information, last Friday. Fuentes, who passed away unexpectedly in Washington, D.C., had participated in Sunshine Fest last week, one of two dozen experts at a special FOI convening Sunday, and then moderating a panel Tuesday…

Americans strongly support the right to access government information. Most have never tried to use it — and don’t know much about how. Those are among the headline findings from a new nationally representative survey released at Sunshine Fest 2026 in Washington, D.C. on March 16. The Joseph L. Brechner…

Jason Leopold, senior reporter for Bloomberg News and government-described “FOIA Terrorist” is this year’s winner of the Brechner Freedom of Information Award for his tenacity and passion in acquiring public records. The award is administered by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College…

Artificial intelligence, practice claims, and focusing on access to “information” instead of “records” can improve the public’s ability to acquire government information, as proposed by winners of a special Journal of Civic Information research competition. Three research studies earned top honors in the contest to mark the 60th anniversary of…

Leading data journalist, educator and trainer Samantha Sunne will coordinate the Brechner FOI Project’s national Secrecy Tracker, monitoring legislation across the nation related to public records and open meetings, synthesizing trends, and educating advocates and policy makers. Sunne (pronounced “Sunny”) is co-author of the textbook “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven…

A new study published in the International Journal of Press/Politics indicates that if journalists cite public records as sources in their news stories then readers will view the stories as more credible and informative than citing other sources, including social media and academic experts. The online experiment with 1,210 U.S.…

The Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project are proud to honor Michigan State University student journalists Alex Walters, Theo Scheer and Owen McCarthy with the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award. Four other reporting teams were recognized as finalists. Walters, Scheer and McCarthy…

Veteran journalist Miranda Spivack has spent decades reporting on state and local government, first in regional newspapers and later during a 20-year career at The Washington Post. But her new book, Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back, shifts the…

A recent article in the Wyoming Law Review examines copy fee provisions in the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, Wyoming law, and Colorado law, concluding that vague laws allowing “reasonable” copy fees are prone to abuse by agencies. The article, by Wyoming attorney Elizabeth Stephani, highlights Colorado’s stronger approach, which…

Washington state House lawmakers have reinstated a controversial email auto-deletion policy, allowing most legislative emails, including those about bills and communications with lobbyists, to be permanently erased after 30 days. The move has drawn criticism from transparency advocates who say it weakens the public’s ability to scrutinize how laws are…