Journalists fatigued by government secrecy are less likely to push for public records, according to a study that earned first place in a national research competition in freedom of information. The study, based on a September survey of 505 U.S. journalists, found that three-quarters have used public records laws, mostly…
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The Student Press Law Center and the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project are proud to honor Michigan State University student journalists Alex Walters, Theo Scheer and Owen McCarthy with the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award. Four other reporting teams were recognized as finalists. Walters, Scheer and McCarthy…
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The Journal of Civic Information is launching a Research Competition and Special Issue to mark the upcoming 60th anniversary of FOIA. Scholars, journalists, practitioners, advocates, and students are invited to submit innovative proposals exploring the future of access to public information and what transparency, accountability, and civic information should look…
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The National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame is back, under the leadership of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The Hall of Fame was created in 1996 by the First Amendment Center, an operating program of…
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The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications will host the winners of the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award, St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and The Marshall Project, for a day of dialogue with students, faculty and the…
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The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, in partnership with MuckRock, has named the winners of the inaugural Sunshine Fest 2025 Logo and Slogan Contest. Sunshine Fest will honor the 20th anniversary of Sunshine Week, March 16- 22, 2025,…
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The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) has awarded the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award to St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and The Marshall Project for their collaborative investigative project, “Unsolved.” This groundbreaking project has been…
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Nominations are now open for the 2025 Student Freedom of Information Award, presented by the Student Press Law Center and sponsored by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida. The award honors students or student teams whose investigative reporting has promoted transparency and highlighted…
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The seventh annual Freedom of Information Research Competition, sponsored by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and University of Florida Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, welcomes one-page proposals for papers that shed light on freedom of information. The top three papers will earn cash prizes and will be…
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Entries for the 2025 Brechner Freedom of Information Award are being accepted through Jan. 10, 2025, to recognize outstanding records-based news reporting aired or published during 2024. The award has been presented annually since 1986 by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College…
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Journalism published or broadcast during 2017 that highlights the importance of open government in advancing the public’s right to know is eligible for a $3,000 cash award offered through the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida. The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award is…
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The Miami Herald has been named the winner of the 30th Annual Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award for its groundbreaking investigative series titled: “Innocents Lost.” The two award-winning Herald reporters, Carol Marbin Miller and Audra D.S. Burch, investigated Florida’s child welfare system by following the lives – and deaths –…
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