Course Description
Find out how to use the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act to source and develop stories, overcome obstructive public bodies and bypass press officers. Make sure the rules work for you and learn how quick and cheap success can be. This one day course will ground you in the basics and provide expert guidance on how to argue the public interest case for your requests and make successful challenges when requests are rejected. It examines recent decisions by the information commissioner and suggests how they could hinder you in your tasks and goals, or indeed be used to your advantage.
Who Should Attend?
- Journalists responsible for finding news stories or seeking to get access to information from public bodies
- Newsdesk executives and senior editorial staff.
Course Outline
- What the Act allows
- Which bodies are covered
- What to request
- How to request it
- The pitfalls
- How to challenge decisions if your requests are rejected.
Course Length
- One day
Testimonial
"This was a very practical guide to the Act and taught me how to avoid the pitfalls of making the wrong requests. I put it into practice straight away when I got back into the office and recently landed my first splash as a result." Reporter - regional daily.
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