Journalism Institute program offers strategies for journalists to obtain public records during pandemic, Aug. 5
Government records belong to the public, but journalists often face delays and redactions that make it difficult to get the information they need to inform the public about significant issues. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever for journalists to be strategic when they are seeking government records.
Registration is open for this National Press Club Journalism Institute program, taking place on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EDT. Learn to build sound strategies and approaches to requesting and obtaining public records using the Freedom of Information Act and state open records laws.
Panelists Miranda Spivack, journalism fellow at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, and Mark Walker, Freedom of Information Act coordinator in The New York Times’ Washington Bureau, will cover:
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How to get to know FOI officers before sending a single request;
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How to identify what information you’re looking for and where that information is produced;
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How to approach your ask: When and where to file, and who to ask;
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Strategies to decrease your wait time, especially as local, state and federal offices use the pandemic to explain delays.
Miranda Spivack is a veteran reporter and editor who specializes in stories about government accountability and state secrecy, and has conducted several workshops on open government issues for IRE, LION, JAWS and other journalism organizations. She is a journalism fellow at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida. Previously, she was a Fulbright Scholar in North Macedonia, where she taught journalism; the Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University; an advising editor to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project; and a former reporter and editor at The Washington Post. Her series “State Secrets” for revealnews.org and USA Today about the rise in state and local government secrecy, was a winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2017 Sunshine Award. Follow her on Twitter @mirandareporter.
Mark Walker is the FOIA coordinator for the Washington bureau of The New York Times. Prior to joining The Times, Walker was a training director for Investigative Reporters and Editors. In that work, he instructed newsrooms around the U.S. on the best strategies for making requests for documents under FOIA. Mark worked as a watchdog reporter focusing on law and order at the Argus Leader newspaper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2016, he was named South Dakota Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year and won the South Dakota Newspaper Association’s public service reporting award for the series Locked in Limbo, on mentally ill criminal defendants languishing in jail because of delays in mental competency evaluations. Mark, a graduate of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, grew up in Savannah. Walker was recently elected to IRE’s board of directors. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @bymarkwalker.
The National Press Club Journalism Institute has added weekly programming, a daily newsletter, a daily writing group, and other support for journalists since March, and has waived fees for everything due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you value what you’ve been learning from the Institute during this time, please consider a donation of $5, $10, or whatever you can contribute.
This program is one of an ongoing series of free conversations. Upcoming:
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Equity and community in local news: Lessons learned in 2020 with Jim Friedlich, Denise Rolark Barnes, Cassie Haynes and Darryl Holliday (August 12, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
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What would antiracist journalism look like? with Leah Donnella, Cassie Haynes and Robert Samuels (August 21, 11:30am-12:15pm)
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Journalists in peril: Creating a safer, equitable future together with Jill Geisler, Alex Marquardt, Sarah Matthews, Abby Phillip and Michael Santiago (September 16, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)
Watch the video replay or read the recap:
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Writing through: Grieving together, alone with Keith Woods and Tom Huang
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Leading through: Resilient newsrooms with Robyn Tomlin, Mike Wilson and Jill Geisler
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Writing through: Resilience & community with Connie Schultz and Jon Mooallem
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Covering Coronavirus: How to be an antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi, Robert Samuels and Shannon Young
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Writing through: A personal pandemic with Sarah Maslin Nir and Tim Herrrera
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Writing through: The power of details with Jessica Contrera and Kelley Benham French
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Writing through: Focusing in short bursts with Lane DeGregory, Deborah Netburn and Marla Broadfoot
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Find untold stories: How to use PACER with Seamus Hughes
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Design hacks: How to create visuals when it’s not usually your job with Beth Francesco
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Working through: Revising your emotional story with Elizabeth Flock and Lori Gottlieb
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Newsroom leadership in the age of Black Lives Matter with Mizell Stewart III, Katrice Hardy and Mary Irby-Jones
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The art & craft of the interview: How to deeply listen with Terry Gross, Michael Barbaro and Kimberly Adams
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How to recruit, develop and advance diverse investigative journalism teams with Manny Garcia, Maria Perez and Cheryl W. Thompson
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Being heard: How to use your voice so people listen with Sewell Chan, Erika Smith, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jake Silverstein
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Covering justice: Reimagining the cops, crime, courts beats with Michael Days, Libor Jany and Jamiles Lartey
Contact Journalism Institute Executive Director Julie Moos with questions.