FOI Blog

Strategies for finding and using public information

Posted 8/2/17 by Shelley Kimball

By Dave Ress

For the record (as we like to say).

We call it the Freedom of Information Act in Virginia, but it’s good to remember that it’s about information that’s in a public record or revealed in a public meeting.

One thing that can really help get information, as Cherise Newsome points out in her excellent post, is talking to the FOIA compliance officer about what you’re trying to find out.

Court rulings ignore common practice

Posted 6/22/17 by Megan Rhyne

Once again, a court has looked at an isolated provision of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and decided that it means something completely different from what had been commonly accepted in the past.

 

Nuisance requests an obstacle to access to public information

Posted 6/7/17 by Shelley Kimball

By Shelley Kimball

There are certain kinds of requests for records that access professionals hate so much they wish they could find ways to outlaw them. Requests that frustrate them so much they wish they didn’t have to respond to them. Let’s call them nuisance requests.

A view from both sides of a FOIA request

Posted 5/23/17 by Shelley Kimball
Truth in the Field

By Cherise Newsome

There are two sides to every FOIA request. I’ve seen them both.

As the public information officer for Portsmouth Public Schools, I serve as our FOIA compliance officer. Therefore, I manage the requests that come into the school division. I’ve been here about six months, and I’ve logged more than 50 requests of various complexity.

Trade secrets exemptions discussion open to public

Posted 5/11/17 by Shelley Kimball

Join in the discussion with Virginia's Freedom of Information Advisory Council to determine how to define which business records may be blocked from public access. The meeting, which is open to all, is Monday, May 15, in the Virginia State Capitol.

Responding to denials to public records requests

Posted 5/9/17 by Shelley Kimball

Anyone who has requested public records regulalry has faced denials from government offices. An open government activist discusses how best to manage and respond to denials.

Education privacy law used as excuse to used to conceal records

Posted 4/11/17 by Shelley Kimball

Education privacy laws, while intended as protections for students' records, are being used by institutions to conceal wrongdoing and mismanagement.

Using Virginia's Freedom of Information Act

Posted 3/28/17 by Shelley Kimball

In the latest installment of Truth in the Field, a veteran journalist explains the basics of how to use Virginina's Freedom of Information Act and where to go for help

Put government spending information online

Posted 3/20/17 by Megan Rhyne

Being able to find information online is becoming the default expectation. Government spending should be no different.

Truth in the Field debut

Posted 3/14/17 by Megan Rhyne
Shelley Kimball

Welcome to VCOG new blog, Truth in the Field, a series of columns that explain how journalists, citizens, academics, and activists have accessed and used government information.

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