Sunshine Fest 2026

Carnage: DOGE, populism, and backslide
Room 258 (2nd Floor)
A discussion about the impact of political forces on freedom of information, including DOGE purges, populist regimes around the world, and trickle down to the states – and how to reverse the tide. Session to include a Spanish translator, so attendees may ask questions in Spanish if they wish.

• Moderator: Margaret Kwoka, Ohio State University (PDFs: Mexico commission study and Lessons learned study).
• Blanca Lilia Ibarra, former director of the Instituto Nacional de Acceso a la Información (Mexico)
• Barbara Petersen, Florida Center for Government Accountability
• Michael Sarich, FOIA University, formally Veterans Affairs

Vexing dilemma
Room B222 (Basement Level)
How do we mitigate the harm of unduly burdensome requests on agencies without restricting the flow of information? Solutions will be laid out from a two-year study, and then audience members will get to vote on the best ones and suggest others. We also learn from the UK – one of the first countries to address vexatious requests by statute.

• Shelley Kimball, Johns Hopkins University, will moderate the audience discussion (co-author of study on vexatious requests) (PDF: study summary)
• Warren Seddon, director of FOI and Transparency, United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office (Link: examples of how UK handles it)
• Nicholas Smarra, Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission

Court transparency
Room B232 (Basement Level)
Court records are supposed to be public. But what do we mean when we say “court records” anyway? Hear from reporters, lawyers and advocates about the state of judicial transparency and what we can do to open up the courts — both state and federal.

• Moderator: Ally Jarmanning, WBUR Boston
• Ryan P. Mulvey, Americans for Prosperity Foundation
• Gabe Roth, Fix the Court (PDF: proposed bill text)
• Megan Wyatt, The Advocate (Louisiana) (Link: case file closure story)

Research revelations
Room B262 (Basement Level)
Top research in freedom of information is presented, shedding light on the landscape and prompting more questions to be studied. Includes winners of the NFOIC FOI research competition and the Brechner Journal of Civic Information research competition.

• Moderator: Ahmed Alrawi, Penn State University
• Erin K. Coyle, Arizona State University (PDF: study summary)
• Benjamin W. Cramer, Penn State University (PDF: topictivity study)
• Alexis Haskell, Temple University (PDF: journalists study)
• Frank LoMonte, University of Georgia (PDF: data deserts study)
• Anna Selbrede and Andrea DenHoed, Yale University (PDF: practice claims study)
• Eliot Wilczek, MITRE (PDF: AI study)

FOIA at 60
Room 258 (2nd floor)
As the U.S. Freedom of Information Act turns 60 this year, we look back at where it has worked, and where it hasn’t.

• Moderator: Tom Susman, American Bar Association
• Tom Blanton, National Security Archive
• Morton H. Halperin, retired
• Sheryl Walter

FOI journalism
Room B222 (Basement Level)
Journalists who cover freedom of information provide suggestions for how news organizations can better explain government transparency and empower the public.

• Moderator: Diana Fuentes, Investigative Reporters and Editors
• Heather Brooke, freelance journalist (London, UK) (Link: Your Right to Know)
• Nate Jones, The Washington Post (PDF: How-to-FOIA graphic)
• Jason Leopold, Bloomberg News (Link: Disclosure podcast)
• Alex Walters, The State News, Michigan State University (Link: Poynter story)

Transparency tool time
Room B262 (Basement Level)
Showcase of digital tools, websites and other resources geared toward improving the public records process, for requesters and agencies alike.

• Moderator: Chris Amico, MuckRock
• Co-coordinator: Michael Sarich, FOIA University

Commercial partnerships
Room B232 (Basement Level)
Freedom of information laws grease the nation’s economic machine. How can civil society and commercial information providers work together to advance their mutual interests?

• Moderator: Amy Kristin Sanders, Penn State
• Russell McIntyre, Cotality
• Richard Varn, Coalition for Sensible Public Records Access (PDFs: slides, balance, identifiers, and security)

AI: Threats and opportunities
Room 258 (2nd Floor)
A look at how artificial intelligence is being applied by requesters and agencies to improve the process, and the unintended consequences.

• Moderator: Anna Massoglia, MuckRock
• Adam Marshall, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
• Carl Roller, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Brian Thompson, Relativity, formerly Environmental Protection Agency
• Liz Wagenseller, Pennsylvania Office of Open Records

Litigation, past and future
Room B222 (Basement Level)
Attorneys recap major decisions affecting freedom of information at the state, federal and global levels, and where it could go in the future.

• Moderator: Frank LoMonte, CNN
• Lily Roos, Bloomberg News
• Chuck Tobin, Ballard-Spahr (Link: Jan. 6 article)
• Matt Topic, Loevy & Loevy

Police transparency
Room B232 (Basement Level)
A look at the state of law enforcement transparency, including access to disciplinary records and body cam video.

• Moderator: Ginger Quintero-McCall, Free Information Group
• Eric Feder, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
• Samantha Hamilton, Atlanta Community Press Collective
• Freddy Martinez, Lucy Parsons Labs
• Sam Stecklow, Invisible Institute

Open data
Room B262 (Basement Level)
Advances in affirmative disclosure. Why wait for a request? Post it online first! And what happens when certain regimes start taking it back down?

• Moderator: Cori Zarek, Apolitical, Inc.
• Stefana Breitwieser, Johns Hopkins University (PDF: Opioid documents)
• Lindita Camaj, University of Florida
• Lynda Kellam, Data Rescue Project (Link: website, and PDF slides)
• Denice Ross, Federation of American Scientists

Criminalizing FOI
Room 258 (2nd Floor)
This session will focus on people who were sued, jailed, or banned by the government for submitting public record requests.

• Moderator: Kirstin McCudden, Freedom of the Press Foundation (PDF: session links)
• Will Fries, The Watershed Observer (Maryland) (Link: restraining order story)
• Justin Garcia, Tampa Bay Times (Link: arrest threat story)
• Haruna Mohammed Salisu, WikkiTimes (Nigeria) (PDF: slides)

Immigration secrecy
Room 256 (2nd floor)
The state of transparency in the U.S. immigration system.

• Moderator: Molly O’Toole, investigative journalist
• Anna Diakun, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
• Deborah Fleischaker, UnidosUS (formerly DHS/ICE)
• Raul Pinto, American Immigration Council
• Anne Marie Tamburro, Society of Professional Journalists

Access strategies
Room 222 (2nd floor)
Practical tips and insights from the pros on how to acquire public records.

• Moderator: Audrey Nielsen, MuckRock
• Sarah Kotler, Kingswood Transparency Group
• Jason Leopold, Bloomberg News
• Cam Rodriguez, investigative journalist

Funding FOI
Room B222 (Basement Level)
Funding freedom of information ebbs and flows – is now a time we might see it flow again?

• Moderator: Daniel Schuman, American Governance Institute
• Aidan Berger, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
• Eric Ferrero, Fund for Investigative Journalism

Agency best practices
Room 256 (2nd floor)
Practical tips and advice for public record custodians on how to improve workflow and process.

• Bill Holzerland, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Ramona Branch Oliver, U.S. Department of Labor
• Ethan Watson, City of Albuquerque

Advice for the advisers
Room 258 (2nd floor)
Members of the federal FOIA Advisory Committee present their latest recommendations and ask the audience for feedback. On the right track, or off the rails?

• Moderator: Deborah O. Moore, U.S. Department of Education (Links: FACA recommendation, funding recommendation, FOIA logs recommendation with chart; PDF: PowerPoint)

Power tool
Room 222 (2nd floor)
Learn how to create your own AI-based “RAG” (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) to find the existence of records in your agency, locale, or interest area.

• Adam Marshall, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Vendor demonstrations
Room B262 (Basement Level)
Commercial vendors on hand to demonstrate their wares for records platforms and other tools. Vendors set up in this room all afternoon (from noon until 4:30 p.m.).

• Coordinator: Chris Amico, MuckRock
• Co-coordinator: Michael Sarich, FOIA University