The Latest: Covering SVB Bank; ‘Know what the appeals process is’; Fox-Dominion timeline; Prison-based newspapers

It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their advice for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.

Today, we have tips from Miranda Spivack, a veteran reporter and editor who specializes in stories about government accountability and secrecy, urban development, and immigration.

What are examples of public records that reporters should ask for when covering local government?

Spivack: Executive and council member calendars — who are they meeting with, and why? Crosscheck that with campaign finance reports and outside contracts.

Outside contracts — who are the vendors and what relationships, if any, do they have to local lawmakers, staff, etc. What is the government outsourcing, and why?

Salaries of elected officials and staff; salaries for local government staff.

If you notice council members or others on a board or panel texting during a public meeting, ask for the text messages and/or emails. And always ask for those when you are making a records request for a specific issue.

A list of any non-disclosure agreements government officials and elected officials may have signed — and ask why.

Campaign finance reports.

What are your top tips for reviewing a large number of files on a tight deadline?

Spivack: Line up colleagues in advance to help you; make a list of what you and they should be searching for; and figure out ahead of time the keywords you need to use.

What is your process when a public records request is denied?

Spivack: Before you file a request, make sure you know what the appeals process is. In some places, you have to go to court. In any case, make sure they cited a legal exemption/reason for turning you down. If you can ask for reconsideration, do so. If there is an administrative internal appeal process, try that. Ask if you can narrow your request and if they can offer any suggestions.

And, if all that fails: Get a lawyer. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union may be able to help you. So may your state's press association.

Share your FOIA and open records successes — or how you've worked around roadblocks — with The Latest subscribers. We'd love to feature your tips in this newsletter. Click here to see yesterday's open records advice.

“It almost goes without saying, but it’s always good to spend some time reviewing the website and any public-facing products of the organization you’re applying for. While in the hiring process you shouldn’t be expected to be proficient with all elements of an organization, we did want to see evidence that people had at least attempted to familiarize themselves with our social media channels and learn about our organization’s work and mission prior to applying.”

-- Joy Mayer, director of Trusting News, “Our hiring process, and our advice for future applicants”

Firewalls & Journalism: What to know about Internet shutdown trends

An open and free Internet is widely seen as essential to journalists to both conduct their reporting and to disseminate their work. But a worsening trend of authoritarian and illiberal governments moving to erect digital firewalls and cut off Internet access, particularly during times of natural disaster or political crisis, is imperiling the ability of large swaths of the global population to stay informed and for journalists to track critical news developments.

More countries than ever in 2022 saw Internet shutdowns, with at least 187 incidents documented across 35 countries, according to the digital rights group Access Now.

Join us from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17, for a virtual panel discussion that will delve deep into the worrying spread of Internet kill switches and what it specifically means for a free press. The program is being produced by the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Committee and nonprofit affiliate Journalism Institute in honor of Sunshine Week.

The panel will discuss:

Regional and national trends in the use of Internet shutdowns in places as diverse as India, Iran, Myanmar, and Turkey;
How Internet shutdowns differ from the more comprehensive control of firewalls favored by China and more recently Russia; and
What privately and publicly funded digital tools are available to help journalists and the general public circumvent Internet controls such as throttling and filters.

Panelists are:

Ksenia Ermoshina, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto and Center for Internet and Society
Natalia Krapiva, tech-legal counsel for digital rights watchdog group Access Now
Nat Kretchun, senior vice president for programs at the Open Technology Fund, part of the U.S. taxpayer-funded U.S. Agency for Global Media
Moderator: Rachel Oswald, National Press Club press freedom team lead and a foreign policy reporter for CQ Roll Call

Resources

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco and Holly Butcher Grant. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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