The importance of FOIA as a tool for journalists and the public

Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel at The Rockefeller University that looked at how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other laws help journalists find and tell important stories. The panel was part of an all-day conference, Science, Journalism and Democracy.

The panelists included a lawyer who protects a busy newsroom, a staff writer for a business magazine, an accomplished freelancer and university professor, and a data security expert. Our discussion included when to use the legal route to wrest information from the public, and when other approaches may be more effective.

One of the main points was that more people need to understand how the laws work so that they are prepared before a government official tries to block access. Another key point was that sometimes, FOIA requests get bogged down for legitimate reasons that could be averted if the journalist approaches the government agency certain ways.

I stressed the point that FOIA is just a law that establishes a procedure for access to certain public information. It does not change the fact that the government's business is the people's business, and there is a fundamental Constitutional right for the public (via the news media) to know what is being done with taxpayer dollars or government authority - or anything that a public official does in the course of their official duties.

Thanks to my panelists:

• Matt Schafer, Counsel at Buzzfeed News 
• Ben Schiller, Staff Writer at Fast Company 
• Charles Seife, Professor at New York University
• Suzanna Schmeelk, Information Security Expert

Here's the video: