"The students are learning that the federal government and every state have laws establishing the public's right to request and receive public records. It's a bedrock principle of democracy: If a government belongs to the people, so do its documents."
"Established in 2015, The Foilies are an annual project by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock to recognize the agencies, officials and contractors that thwart the public's right to know. We give out these tongue-in-cheek "awards" during Sunshine Week (March 15-21), a collective effort by media and advocacy organizations to highlight the importance of open government."
"In the past, the FCC always provided records within a few weeks, if not days. But that changed in September when students requested consumer complaints filed against NPR and PBS stations to see if there was absolutely anything at all to merit defunding public media. Seven months later - crickets."
University of Nevada, Reno journalism students learn FOIA principles by requesting public records from government agencies. Historically, the FCC responded within weeks, but recent requests about NPR and PBS complaints went unanswered for seven months, demonstrating government resistance to transparency. The Foilies, established in 2015 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock, annually recognize agencies and officials that obstruct public access to records during Sunshine Week. The project highlights both failures and successes in government transparency, contrasting agencies that ignore requests with those responding within minutes, teaching students about democracy's dependence on accessible government documents.
#foia-and-public-records #government-transparency #the-foilies-awards #sunshine-week #journalism-education
Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]