BBC News: Post-It notes and the end of written history
Tuesday, 6 July 2010, 12:03
"[There] is a fear among some historians that the expected treasure trove of policy documents and correspondence between ministers might not be worth the paper it is printed on. … In place of candid policy briefings, indiscreet notes and full and frank minutes, of the kind that have shed so much light on previous eras, they fear the official record of what is going on in government today will be a succession of bland statements of the obvious and uncontroversial. The reason for this, they fear, is that ministers and officials are so worried about leaks to newspaper and premature disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act that they have simply stopped writing things down."
Guardian: Data: Information is power
Tuesday, 25 May 2010, 06:32
"Starting this week, Downing Street is to make a series of announcements that could give journalists access to public data from all corners of local and national government, and revolutionise the way they work. … Of all the datasets that will be released, possibly the most significant is something called the Combined Online Information System (Coins). This is basically a list of everything spent at every level of government in the UK."
On the fly: Islington Council tells councillors to follow its lead and ignore students
Wednesday, 17 March 2010, 23:50
It seems my local council has a lot to learn about the changing nature of local media, not to mention freedom of information: "Each year as part of the newspaper journalism MA at City University, students run two local news websites … a senior press officer at [Islington Council], responded saying he would only answer questions if it had already been asked by other news outlets. Since then the council has decided not to respond to any requests by students, whether they have been answered before or not. Fellow students have also been told by councillors that they have been told not to work with any students."
allmediascotland: FOI requests first for north-east council
Monday, 8 March 2010, 18:42
"A local authority in the north-east of Scotland has become the first local authority in Scotland to publicise details of who is making Freedom of Information requests from it – with an estimated 40 per cent coming from the media."
Mail Online: A commuter in a diabetic coma and the new weapon that can immobilise a suspect for 20 seconds: The shocking truth about Tasers
Sunday, 7 March 2010, 23:34
"Records obtained using Freedom of Information requests show that the police in England and Wales fired or threaten to fire Tasers against at least 142 under-18s in the 20 months up to the end of August 2009."
FleetStreetBlues: How to get the most out of FOI requests
Saturday, 9 January 2010, 11:38
"[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."
BBC News: MPs’ expenses drama to star Anna Maxwell Martin
Thursday, 10 December 2009, 08:15
"Bringing Down the House will feature Martin as US campaigner Heather Brooke, who battled to force MPs to reveal details of their expenses."
Sky News: Government Wants Online ‘Rogues’ Galleries’ To Show Public How Criminals Dealt With By Courts
Thursday, 3 December 2009, 17:40
Government wants to introduce online sentencing information for local areas. Peter Murray, vice-president of the National Union of Journalists, tells Sky News: "The point about journalism, as opposed to information provided by arms of the state, is that it's filtered through people who have all the ethical training, political background and experience. That filtering process is not there on a police or local authority website, so people committing a minor offence may find themselves victimised, or subject to vigilantism because people would have no means of determining the seriousness of the offence committed."
Your Right to Know: Hidden High Court Injunctions
Saturday, 17 October 2009, 09:53
Heather Brooke: "It is bad enough that superinjunctions exist at all, but it is absolutely appalling that there are not even records kept of how often they are used. Pressure needs to be put on the High Court to record these occasions, and make the details public as a matter of urgency."
Birmingham Post: Help Me Investigate website uncovers parking ticket hotspots in Birmingham
Monday, 27 July 2009, 13:07
"A study by a groundbreaking public journalism project has revealed the worst place to park in Birmingham. … Freedom of Information specialist Heather Brooke obtained the figures from Birmingham City Council, and the data was collated and sorted by Help Me Investigate user Neil Houston."
FollowTheMoney.eu: Find out how your taxes helped empty the seas
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 11:12
"Today sees the launch of a new transparency website from the FollowTheMoney.eu stable. It presents data on 97,260 payments totalling 8.5 billion euro from 1994 to 2006."
FollowTheMoney.eu: Find out how your taxes helped empty the seas
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 11:12
"Today sees the launch of a new transparency website from the FollowTheMoney.eu stable. It presents data on 97,260 payments totalling 8.5 billion euro from 1994 to 2006."
FishSubsidy.org
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 11:11
Another EU-wide freedom of information project from FollowtheMoney.eu
FishSubsidy.org
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 11:11
Another EU-wide freedom of information project from FollowtheMoney.eu
