Journalism published during 2019 that draws on public records, or highlights secrecy in government, is eligible for a $3,000 cash prize.

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding news coverage that promotes transparent, accountable government. Applications are due Feb. 28, and details about how to apply are available on the brechner.org website.

Work by any U.S.-based media organization or individual, in any medium, is eligible for the prize, and there is no fee to enter.

The winner will be recognized April 13 at a meeting of the Florida Free Speech Forum in Gainesville, Fla., and entrants will be expected to send at least one representative to accept the award in-person, with travel expenses covered by the Brechner Center.

Previous winners have included The Oregonian for Benefit of the Doubt, about how a predatory schoolteacher victimized generations of students with the help of a secretive personnel system, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for “How Atlanta Trampled the Public’s Right to Know,” a series about how the administration of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed dodged open-records laws to evade public accountability.

The Brechner Center presents the award with the support of a generous grant from the family of pioneering broadcast executive Joseph L. Brechner and his wife, Marion. The Brechner Center was founded in 1977 as a source of research and advocacy supporting the public’s right of access to civically essential information, in Florida and throughout the country.

Posted: January 17, 2020
Category: Brechner News