Sunshine Laws and FOIA panel

Impactful and persuasive writing requires thorough research from anyone hoping to make a difference in their work. Many times, the most impactful information comes from documents and data untouched by the public.

Full disclosure of information and data from the government is a right protected for all citizens of the United States. Not many people know they can, upon request, access various documents, giving them opportunities to research and hold government agencies accountable.

This process of information requesting protected under the Freedom of Information Act allows journalist a better opportunity to investigate and provide the truth for the people. Through this process, a journalist can make a request to the data/records keeper officer of a certain department or agency, detailing the documents and data they wish to analyze. Under the federal level, citizens are granted this through FOIA, but every state also has their own Sunshine Laws that allow a free access to government documents. Unless there are clear limitations and reasonable circumstances for the not disclosing information, the government agency must provide the documents to the one requesting. In some circumstances, no reasonable excuses for nondisclosure of information result in lawsuits charged by the media organizations looking for the needed documents.

Each state varies in their Sunshine Laws, but the same principle remains in their effort to protect every citizen in their state the right to freely access government information.

The access, protected through FOIA and Sunshine, bring accountability and transparency to every field of government, ensuring that illegal and abusive behavior do not go unnoticed and unchecked. Due to the extensive documentation of various entities of the government, many slip ups and mis-handlings done by the government goes unnoticed, for this information either gets hidden or buried. When a journalist is granted access to uncover some of these mis-handlings, truth can be revealed and justice may be served down the road.

Allowing for a transparent government enables the public to know exactly what the government is doing, especially when the public tax dollars fund the efforts of these government entities. Transparency in journalism is a key attribute that many journalists strive for.

After listening to various professional journalists in the field discuss their experience with uncovering and analyzing documents, the weight of FOIA and Sunshine Laws become even clearer. Beneath a lot of numbers and weary information, these journalists were able to uncover important information pertaining to law enforcement and immigration. One journalist reporting on the border crisis uncovered, after suing the government, how long some of the unaccompanied minors at the border were stuck in the human services system. This information led to a more convincing story that detected certain discrepancies happening at the southern border.

Rights and freedoms protected and granted through FOIA and Sunshine laws continue to allow transparency to flow through the government, reminding them that they are here to serve the public– not hide from them.