About two-thirds of people who appeal public record denials to the Ohio Court of Claims, for just $25, are awarded their documents, according to the winning research study in this year’s NFOIC-Brechner Freedom of Information Research Competition.

Mitchell McKenney of Kent State University examined the outcomes of the unique alternative to litigation, as well as the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, which also can force agencies to provide records without the requester going to court. “We need more of this kind of research in the FOI field,” one judge stated. “Well written and well done across the board,” another wrote.

Other research topics in the competition included a look at the difficulty of acquiring records in Kentucky, access to documents regarding animals used in research, the benefits of the Documenters in making public meetings accessible, and an analysis of public record request logs acquired in Delaware.

All eight papers accepted to the sixth annual National Freedom of Information Coalition FOI research competition will be presented online 10 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 14, 2024, at the NFOIC virtual summit.

In all, 10 one-page proposals were entered and selected through double-blind peer review for final consideration. Eight complete papers were submitted for final review, rated by a team of 12 expert judges on importance, relevance to practitioners, and strength of methodology. Top three papers earned cash prizes of $1,000, $600 and $400. Authors are encouraged to seek publication in the University of Florida’s Journal of Civic Information, which welcomes submissions from all researchers.

The competition is co-sponsored by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

The eight papers will be showcased at the Nov. 14 session, moderated by competition coordinator David Cuillier, director of the Brechner FOI Project:

• Just $25 to File, No Lawyer Required: Assessing an Alternative Public Record Complaint Procedure, by Mitch McKenney, associate professor, Kent State University (first place, $1,000 prize).
• Bridging the Civic Information Gap: A Comparative Study of Documenters’ Notes and Meeting Minutes, by Nina Kelly, doctoral candidate, Wayne State University (second place, $600 prize).
• A Survey of Access to Information on Animal Research, by Karen Markin, Director of Research Development, University of Rhode Island (third place, $400 prize).
• Google Searches for FOIA: Implications and Insights for FOIA Research, by Hsu Hung-Yi, doctoral candidate, Rutgers University-Newark.
• The Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings Acts: Defending Democracy and Transparency, by Kathryn Montalbano, assistant professor, and Benjy Hamm, associate extension professor, University of Kentucky.
• Mind the Gaps: A Field Guide to Analyzing Your State’s FOIA System, Dan Shortridge, online journalist, Delaware.
• Student Journalists Battle Their University for Public Records, by Peggy Watt, associate professor, Western Washington University.
• Freedom of Information Policy Localization in Nigeria’s Subnational and Local Governments: How the Civil Society Can Help, by Oscar E. Ubhenin, associate professor, Ambrose Alli University (Nigeria).

Thanks to the judges who rated multiple submissions through blind-review: Ahmed Alrawi, University of Virginia; Alexa Capeloto, John Jay College; Patrick File, University of Nevada-Reno; Margaret Kwoka, Ohio State University; Gerry Lanosga, University of Indiana; Greg Michener, Fundação Getulio Vargas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); Colleen Murphy, Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission; Richard Peltz-Steele, University of Massachusetts, Suzanne Piotrowski, Rutgers University; Daxton “Chip” Stewart, Texas Christian University; A.Jay Wagner, Marquette University; and Ben Wasike, University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley.

For more information, contact David Cuillier at cuillerd@ufl.edu. A call for proposals for next years’ competition will go out in January 2025.

Posted: October 24, 2024
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: NFOIC, Proposal Winner, Publication, Research Competition