It being the start of 2010, we feel duty bound to offer some kind of list. But to be honest, there are already a number of excellent 'New Year resolutions for journalists'-type lists out there -
this from Journalism.co.uk and
this from Adam Westbrook are typical of the genre.
Both have sound, useful, practical advice on how to survive the ongoing transition to digital journalism. But with all the predictable focus on multimeeja and the 'business model', we can't help finding them a little bit depressing. (Besides which, if we're now responsible for the business model, then WTF are all those other people who work in our office doing all day?)
So, instead, we thought we'd focus on more traditional journalistic skills, and the Freedom of Information Act (which as the
MediaGuardian reminded us yesterday, is now five years old). We have no special qualifications, other than having, er, used it a lot - but here's our top five tips to getting the most out of FOI.
1/
Know your rights. No, we're not going to describe in the detail how the Act works - you should know that already, and if you don't, you can easily read up on it. FOI legend Heather Brooke's
Your Right To Know blog is the obvious starting point, and
this guide from
Manchester Evening News chief reporter David Ottewell is also pretty handy. But the point is, it's worth really knowing the Act inside out - the fact that you can submit your request to
any person in an organisation, and that the clock starts from when they first receive it even if they fail to pass it on promptly; the fact that if your request is refused on grounds of costs, the body refusing it has to explain
why it believes it would cost too much to answer. Bone up a bit and the chances are you'll know your rights better than the FOI officer charged with answering your request. Which can be useful.
2/ Be organised. Getting decent stories via FOI is a war of attrition as much as anything else. Keep a careful record of which FOI requests you've submitted, what you asked, who you sent it to and when you sent it. Always ask for an acknowledgement - many's the time we've waited our 20 days only to be told the authority has no record of receiving the request in the first place. Don't be afraid to (politely) chase outstanding responses.
3/ Ask the right people the right questions. If you want the best story, you need to be crafty. Think carefully how you phrase your question - be as precise as possible, and don't leave any wriggle room. Ask for actual documents where possible (emails, memos and minutes of meetings are always a good bet). And consider which public body is likely to give you the most useful response. If Govt Dept A has ordered Local Council B to do something controversial it doesn't want to do, then an FOI request to Govt Dept A may be met with delay, obfuscation and outright refusal. Local Council B, which may secretly not mind disclosing that it's been forced to do soemthing controversial it didn't want to do in the first place, may give up the goods without any fuss.
4/ Appeal, appeal, appeal... because they're counting that you won't. Back to the war of attrition thing again. Requests are often rejected on spurious grounds, in the hope that a hard-pressed journalist will just drop it. Don't. Many a good story has come of a dogged refusal to give up - if necessary, take it to the Information Commissioner (although a huge backlog of cases means you're in for a wait). And if you do appeal, take the time to argue your case as cogently and fully as possible - contrary to appearances, there's a human being at the other end of that FOI email address and arguing convincingly can help.
5/ FOI is a negotiation, not a right. Even if you've tried all the above, and for all the talk of the public's right to know, the bottom line is this - if a public body doesn't want to tell you something, it probably won't. There are dozens of exemptions it can choose from. But the Freedom of Information Act provides a framework for the argument - it's a chance to make your case, and to formally appeal for information in the public interest. Get to know the FOI officers at the bodies you're most likely to submit requests to - in theory, they're meant to help you draft your request and it can be worth asking for their help, even if it's given grudgingly. Even though they shouldn't. if they know who you are, they're more likely to take your request seriously. If they know that you've reported the fact that they refused to answer your last request, they might be more likely to make an attempt to answer the next one.
Oh, and one final, bonus tip. If and when you make a successful request, and you come to use the information you uncover in a story, always credit the Freedom of Information Act. It educates the reader about the purpose of the Act, showing them that without it, they'd never have been able to read the story they're now reading. And makes them realise how much hard work you had to put in to get it for them.
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