Sunshine week and the celebration of open records

 Happy Sunshine Week everyone!

In honor of Sunshine Week (and supporting open records in general,) a group of local, experienced reporters and editors have formed a Freedom of Information committee and are in the process of dreaming up ideas to better help you and everyone you know understand more about open records.

Just in time for Sunshine Week, a national effort to educate the public on the importance of open records, a local editor has created a state open records blog that will hopefully help you learn more about public records, make FOI requests and hold your public officials accountable.

Creator of the open records blog and the Middletown Press editor Viktoria Sundqvist said it best:

As most reporters know, anyone in Connecticut can walk into a government office and ask to see a copy of a public document. But not every member of the public knows that. And not everyone knows what constitutes a public document, or what agency to approach to get it.

In honor of Sunshine Week this week, staff from the New Haven Register, The Middletown Press and The Register Citizen have formed an informal Freedom of Information Committee, which will work to help staff and the public get better at accessing open records.
 
Here are some blog highlights:

* We will create a spreadsheet where every FOI request a reporter or editor makes will be entered so they can be tracked. This will be viewable by the public

* We will rate towns and agencies with "sunshines"

* Classes in FOI and open records will be offered to staff and the public

Committee members include Middletown Press Editor Viktoria Sundqvist (@vsundqvist), Register Citizen reporter Ricky Campbell (@RickyCampbellRC), New Haven Register Community Engagement Editor Angi Carter (@ReachAngi), New Haven Register reporter Alex Sanders (@ASanders88), New Haven Register sports reporter Chris Hunn (@Chris_Hunn), Investigations Editor Michelle Tuccitto Sullo (@NHRinvestigate), Topics Editor Mary O’Leary (@nhrmoleary), Asst. Managing Editor for Disruption Chris March (@LouderCMarch) and Graphics Mastermind Ann Dallas (@NHRdallas).

If you have any questions, suggestions or issues related to FOI, you can email the entire group here at openrecordsct@journalregister.com


So, everyone go get your FOIing on, and together, we can make the world a more public place!

How to get public information about a private company, or, my latest FOIA adventure

I know what you're thinking. Public information pertains to, well, um, public entities. That is true, but there are ways to get public information from a private company in some cases too. I'm not talking about an inside source sneaking you secret documents. I am talking about sending an email (or letter via snail mail) and publicly requesting information.

I am working on a story about a private organization (which I won't name here because the story is not yet complete) and was looking for information pertaining to their licensing records, which are public. Within four business days, the records I requested were sitting in my Inbox.

The lesson here? If any private company has any kind of licensing through the state, that information is likely public. Be aware that the licensing information may not contain what you are looking for, but know that you have access to it.

Also, make sure you aren't fooled. It isn't as simple as you trying to file a request under FOIA and someone in the company saying "Sorry, can't use FOIA with us. We're private."

*click ... dialtone*

Then you give up and move on, right?

Not so fast.

If their licensing is not through the state then find out how much funding the company receives from the state or if the state is involved in any aspect of their operations. If the state plays a large part in their business operations in one way or another, there may be more public information available to you than you know about.

Stay tuned for more FOIA trials and tribulations and remember, if you have stories to share, questions or comments, email me at asanders@nhregister.com.

How to get the real story: Freedom of Information facts and tips

Freedom of Information

View more presentations from asanders88.

Your Freedom of Information resources

  Looking for information but you aren't finding this blog helpful or you don't know where to start your search? Here are some other places to look:

● Investigative Reporters and Editors - FOI tips: Find nuances in laws, legislation-changing stories and FOI tips and tricks here.

● Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal help to reporters and news organizations.

● U.S. Department of Justice: A federal and criminal enforcement agency - with records.

● Muckrock.com: An open government tool powered by state and federal Freedom of Information laws. Useful for: A lack of time, energy and patience. The site will explain to an organization what you are looking for, submit a request to a company, keeps track of it and follows up on it.

● Office of Government Information Services: Get help writing and narrowing down FOI requests

● Power Reporting: Resources and training for journalists. Useful for: When you are having trouble with that pesky computer assisted reporting 

● NICAR database library: An extensive list of databases that (unfortunately) cost a fee to purchase but they offer a reduced fee on some data sets and it may be worth your while.

● Suffolk Media Law: A Suffolk University student group that advocates for Freedom of Information, and shares stories about FOI issues and how to change them.

● New England Newspaper and Press Association: News about news, and how the news media is changing and growing

- OTHER RESOURCES (This list will grow, I assure you)

● The Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Learn about outbreaks, toxins and epidemics that could be affecting your community

● Military record information: You may not get all of the information you want, but you may find something you need.