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.