National Press Club

Learn strategies for obtaining public records at Journalism Institute program 11:30 a.m. today 

Holly Butcher Grant

August 03, 2020

Learn strategies for requesting and getting public records through the Freedom of Information Act at a National Press Club Journalism Institute program at 11:30 a.m. today.

Register for the free webinar here.

Panelists Miranda Spivack, journalism fellow at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, and Mark Walker, FOIA coordinator in The New York Times’ Washington Bureau, will cover: 

  • How to get to know FOI officers before sending a single request;

  • How to identify what information you’re looking for and where that information is produced; 

  • How to approach your ask: When and where to file, and who to ask; 

  • 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. 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. Walker worked as a watchdog reporter focusing on law and order at The Argus Leader newspaper in Sioux Falls, S.D. 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:

Watch the video replay or read the recap:

Contact Journalism Institute Executive Director Julie Moos with questions.