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Have you ever been knocked back on a Freedom of Information request and just... given up?
It has been 10 years since the Freedom of Information Act changed the way journalists work. But there is still some way to go when it comes to how many journalists actually get the most out of the law, according to FOI Directory founder Matt Burgess.
"In some cases there's not a lot of understanding from requesters and journalists about objections," Burgess told Journalism.co.uk, "but it's exactly that kind of thing that people need to understand further."
So today the FOI Directory website has relaunched with templates to help journalists deal with rejected FOI requests, updated lists of official contacts and more legal guidelines.The work people can do before the request is important, making sure there is enough researchMatt Burgess, FOI Directory
The rejection templates include how to ask for an internal review of a decision, how to challenge decisions based on public interest and how to lodge official complaints based on specific sections of the law.
"A really important point for journalists is when they request data and ask for an Excel spreadsheet they might end up getting [the data back in] a PDF of a scanned in document," he said.
"For that I've got an example of the case law where people can add in their details and say that they know the rights and the law and what they can expect to receive."
Although Burgess has tried to include many different examples of when a request might not be accepted, he stressed it was important for journalists to lay the groundwork for finding information from public bodies and see if they can find the information elsewhere first.
"It comes down to a few different things," he said. "The work people can do before the request is important, making sure there is enough research. Then making sure it is going to the right authorities and the willingness to challenge a decision."
Challenges should only be made when all other avenues have been exhausted however, he said.
"It's important for journalists to get the information without using the FOI act first, by doing more research, maybe contacting the press office.
"FOI should generally only be used for things that are really important and they know they can't get anywhere else."
The web address has also changed – to FOI.directory – and Burgess will continue to update his resources as appropriate.
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