TAG / TRANSPARENCY

RESULTS

CORRUPTION

Grand Blanc Township Charges Reporter $164,000 in FOIA Fees After Sudden Suspension of Fire Chief

Michigan township demands an unprecedented fee for public records as questions mount over the chief’s administrative leave in the wake of the LDS church shooting.

CORRUPTION

Fired for Following the Law: Iowa Settles With Ex-Records Custodian for $600,000

A former Iowa records custodian says she was pushed out for releasing public information. Now taxpayers—not the officials implicated—are footing the bill.

CORRUPTION

Memphis Law Student Wins Landmark Public Records Suit Against City

After seven months of delays and repeated denials, Tyler Foster forced Memphis to comply with public records law. His win could set a precedent for greater transparency in city government.

CORRUPTION

Scottish MP Introduces FOI Bill After Inquiry Reveals “Industrial-Scale” Message Deletions

The reform would make it a crime to delete government communications, following revelations that top officials wiped WhatsApp messages during the pandemic.

VIOLATIONS

Silence as Policy: How the Columbia Journalism Review Protects Its Own and Abandons the Public

When conflicts of interest in major news coverage were exposed, CJR refused to respond, eroding public trust in media oversight.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Double-Edged Sword: AI Boosts FOIA Efficiency While Threatening Public Access

AI is speeding up FOIA responses, but may also be creating legal and ethical hazards that could undermine public requests and government accountability.

CORRUPTION

Arizona Officials Sued Over Withheld Records in Billion-Dollar Education Funding Scandal

Investigative journalists demand answers as officials dodge record requests on a program plagued by waste, secrecy and abuse—the very things freedom of information laws were created to uncover.

CORRUPTION

Australia Government Moves to Tighten Freedom of Information Law, Curtail Public Access

Transparency advocates say proposed FOI changes gut the public’s right to know and shield the government from scrutiny.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Public Official Found Guilty Under New York Freedom of Information Law

Saratoga Springs’ unusual prosecution underscores the importance of transparency—and the legal consequences for officials who disregard it.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Connecticut Agencies Caught Violating FOIA as Citizens Face Delays, Dodges and Fees

Despite a half-century-old FOIA law, citizens and journalists face months—even years—of stonewalling. Watchdogs warn government secrecy in the Nutmeg State threatens accountability and democracy itself.