The Appeals Process: Steps to take when your FOIA requests are denied, webinar originating from Washington, D.C.

Public records belong to the public. So what recourse do journalists and the public have when your records requests are denied?

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a webinar focused on practical advice on the records appeals process: how to start, how to track, and how to succeed with your open records requests. Whether you are seeking federal, state, or local records, you’ll learn how to get the information you’re after (with patience, perseverance, and a plan).

Registration is open for this webinar, which will take place on Friday, March 15, from noon to 12:45 p.m. ET.

REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r62yQuFjTo2RHvA0uRBa0g#/registration

Participants will learn:

Typical open records request processes, with a focus on dealing with denials
The types of appeals journalists and the public may make while seeking information
Tips to craft FOIA and other requests to increase your chances of success in retrieving information
How to stay organized while juggling multiple requests and appeals
Speakers include:

Nate Jones, FOIA Director at The Washington Post
Gunita Singh, staff attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Mark Walker, Investigative Reporter at The New York Times

This webinar is designed to help individuals who have been denied an open records request with a local, state, or federal government agency. The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, provides the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested unless it falls under one of nine exemptions. State and local agencies also have open record laws governing documents produced by government agencies including lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, courts, and school districts, among others. These laws help keep citizens in the know about their government.

About the speakers:

Nate Jones works with reporters to target documents to request, appeal, and sue. He works with reporters to obtain local, state, and federal records and to think strategically about public records in all formats. He gives FOIA training sessions and advises reporters on how to write, refine and track requests, navigate delays and overredactions, and overcome other bureaucratic resistance. He is also author of the “Revealing Records” column, which describes The Post’s battles for public records.

Gunita Singh works on litigation, policy, and amicus work, primarily around state and federal freedom of information laws while also helping reporters and news organizations with records requests. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from Boston University, where she studied political science and graduated magna cum laude.

Mark Walker covers a wide range of transportation-related subjects, including aviation, freight rail, and the future of passenger rail travel in the United States. He also covered the fallout from the Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and explored how highways continue to segregate communities. Walker started as a reporter at a small South Dakota paper called The Argus Leader before working for Investigative Reporters and Editors, a nonprofit that helps train journalists.