Leading data journalist, educator and trainer Samantha Sunne will coordinate the Brechner FOI Project’s national Secrecy Tracker, monitoring legislation across the nation related to public records and open meetings, synthesizing trends, and educating advocates and policy makers.

Sunne (pronounced “Sunny”) is co-author of the textbook “Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting,” now being published in its second edition. She is a freelance journalist based in New Orleans, specializing in data and investigative techniques. Sunne teaches at conferences, universities and newsrooms around the world.

As a freelance reporter, she is the recipient of several national grants and awards for investigative reporting, and has worked with publications including ProPublica, the Poynter Institute and The Washington Post. As an instructor, she has designed tutorials and curricula for organizations including Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists and the Nieman Foundation at Harvard.

Sunne also publishes the Tools for Reporters newsletter, which recommends a new tool for journalism every other week. The newsletter reached its 10th anniversary and was named one of the most popular newsletters in the news industry by Revue.

Posted: January 10, 2026
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner FOI Project, Secrecy Tracker