A gag order on staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a hiring freeze in federal agencies, and budget cuts throughout the government: today’s cultural and political climate have increased concerns among Boston-based journalists and researchers about both civic interaction and government transparency.
The Freedom of Information Act, signed into law in 1966, gives any person the right to research and view public records, such as government budgets, internal newsletters and other information, with a few restrictions, according to the U.S. Department of State website. Navigating FOIA, however, can be riddled with setbacks, legal complications and other difficulties that may discourage someone from applying.
MuckRock, an organization designed to streamline the FOIA application process, presented “Hacking FOIA: Learn How to Open Government with Public Records” at Northeastern University on Monday. It was part of the nationwide “Sunshine Week” program to spread information about public access to government records and civic participation.
“It’s great to let people know that we fund government, and they do tremendous research,” said Matthew Carroll, an organizer of the presentation and a journalism professor at Northeastern. “The average person should be able to access [that data].”
Carroll also noted recent executive orders and motions, such as a grant freeze at several government agencies and the gag order that bans EPA employees from posting on social media, as possible sources of fear among researchers and journalists.
“In the current climate, people are afraid of data disappearing,” Carroll said. “Hopefully an event like this will be an impetus for people to go out and get data while they can.”
Sparsely filling up a small classroom, an audience of about 20 people, several of which are employed in media or communication fields, listened to the tips that MuckRock executive editor J. Patrick Brown offered in his half-hour presentation.
Lisa Button, managing editor for the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, said she felt inspired to attend the event due to her perceived rise in the importance of investigative journalism.
“Now more than ever, it’s important for investigative news to be practiced and practiced well,” Button said. “The whole thing about fake news is part of the political climate and it’s important for people to have access to government.”
MuckRock, which partners with the Boston Globe’s “GlobeLab” program, follows a streamlined, three-step process: applicants put in the subject of their request, write a short description and select the level of government, such as local, state or federal, that they wish to file the request at, Brown explained.
MuckRock adds the “legalese” and takes care of the rest, “including all entanglements,” from start to finish, Brown said to the audience.
Students of all majors and degree levels can use FOIA to find information about private universities through “backdoor” opportunities, or research involving both private and public universities available for public access.
Boston University is more difficult to request information from than a public university such as the University of Massachusetts, Brown told The Daily Free Press, but in the event of partnerships with public agencies or universities, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, students can still request information.
Emily Hopkins, a second-year graduate student studying media innovation at Northeastern, uses the FOIA frequently in her reporting and research.
“I’m using it right now in a capacity as a kind of archival search,” she said. “Hopefully [Brown] will have some tips or insights. I’m coming here with an open mind.”
In his presentation, Brown said good document requests are clearly described and defined, with clear date parameters, ideas about what agency or agent may have the information and the applicant’s “status in the media,” or their occupation.
Brown also recommended addressing the agent you are emailing like a “human being,” and not a machine or automaton. Being direct, creative and kind may even yield faster responses, he said.
“Always assume good faith,” he said. “You’re dealing with another human being. Assume they’re doing their level best.”
MuckRock has filed more than 30,000 requests for public records, and in total has received more than a million pages of released data since its founding in 2010, he explained.
By trying again and again, through wins and losses, MuckRock has worked to find creative ways to appeal for public release of information.
“FOIA is an art, not a science,” Brown said to the group, “because you need to make bad art to make good art.”
