The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is training hundreds of journalists during the summer of 2024 on how to more effectively acquire government records for helping their communities better self-govern.

On June 29, Director David Cuillier spoke at the Arkansas Press Association conference in Jonesboro about increasing secrecy in the South and beyond.

The week before, Cuillier taught more than 300 journalists at the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference strategies for requesting public records. In July, he will lead two training sessions at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in California.

In the past year, since July 2023, the Brechner FOI Project has provided 45 trainings, in-person and online, to more than 1,500 journalists, citizens, students, and government officials. Venues included Radio Television Digital News Association training, College Media Association conference, the Kansas Press Association, and the South Dakota NewsMedia Association conference.

“Journalists crave, more than ever, training in how to acquire government information in order to better inform the public,” Cuillier said. “As local, state and federal agencies continue to get more secretive, it’s more important than ever to equip journalists and citizens with the tools to find out what their government is up to.”

In the past year, since July 2023, the Brechner FOI Project has aided more than 125 journalists and citizens in acquiring records, and has been quoted in 40 news articles about freedom of information.

Posted: June 29, 2024
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner FOI Project, Dave Cuillier, FOI, FOIA, government records, Government Transparency, journalism training, journalists, public records