Bloomberg News senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold said this week that if denied public records, always appeal. Leopold visited the University of Florida Monday to accept the 2026 Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award.

Leopold talked with about 40 students in the College of Journalism and Communications, as well as at a gathering of the Florida Free Speech Forum. At both talks, he recounted some of the records he obtained through the years through Freedom of Information Act.

Some of his requests were controversial, including his obtaining Hillary Clinton’s emails that were later found to be housed on a private server (and some people, he said, felt the ensuing controversy enabled Donald Trump to get elected). He also obtained the Jeffrey Epstein emails long before documents were released proactively by the government. It goes to show, he said, that FOIA is nonpartisan – while the information may be weaponized for political gain, it is essential that the public has a right to see what the government is up to.

The Brechner FOI Award, given out annually since 1986, comes with a $3,000 prize. Winners are selected by a committee of public records experts.

Posted: April 23, 2026
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner Awards, Brechner FOI Project