Brechner FOI Project

As local newspapers continue to go out of business, researchers are turning to artificial intelligence to preserve historic image archives. A research team from Northeastern University used the Boston Globe’s photo morgue to test how machine learning can help digitally archive photo collections. With AI, the researchers were able to…

A West Virginia bill that was set to make last-minute changes to the state’s freedom of information law, allowing more copy fees, longer delays, and more secrecy, died this month before it reached Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s desk. According to reporting from West Virginia Watch, House Bill 3412 passed out of the…

The National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame is back, under the leadership of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.  The Hall of Fame was created in 1996 by the First Amendment Center, an operating program of…

A bill clarifying aspects of Arkansas’ public meetings law has passed the Senate and is now heading to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 227 specifies what city councils, quorum courts, and school boards can discuss outside of a public meeting. It also allows courts to nullify decisions made by a…

In Oklahoma, House Bill 2163, proposes the creation of a Public Access Counselor within the Office of the Attorney General to handle complaints related to denied public records.  According to reporting from the Oklahoma Voice, Republican House Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, who authored the bill, said he hopes this will…

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications will host the winners of the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award, St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and The Marshall Project, for a day of dialogue with students, faculty and the…

Iowa House representatives are moving forward with legislation that aims to increase training for local officials on open meetings and public record laws, and to raise penalties for open meeting violations According to a report from Iowa Capital Dispatch, the passing of House File 706 marks the second year that…

The Utah Legislature has received the Society of Professional Journalists’ Black Hole Award, a dubious honor that highlights significant violations of the public’s right to know. The award was presented for two new laws, Senate Bill 277 and House Bill 69, passed in the 2025 General Session that alter how…

As we mark the 20th anniversary of Sunshine Week (March 16-22, 2025), which was born in Florida, David Cuillier, Brechner FOI Project’s director, highlights the troubling shift in the state’s approach to government transparency in a column for The Conversation. Started as Sunshine Sunday back in 2002, Cuillier notes that…

Federal agencies should improve the FOIA process by utilizing data tools more effectively to identify records to proactively post, according to a white paper issued Feb. 24 by the Data Working Group of the Chief FOIA Officers’ Council.  The working group interviewed representatives from 10 federal agencies to find that…

Whistle blowers are a key component for the public to learn about what the government is up to, and a recent study in Public Administration found the best way to encourage government employees to do the right thing is to focus on the waste of tax dollars for the community…

A bill that could impose new fees and limitations on public records requests has advanced through its first committee in the New Mexico House. Orginially reported by the New Mexico Political Report, the bill, which was sponsored by democratic State Rep. Christine Chandler, passed with nearly unanimous support but has…