Learning from frequent FOIA filers

At a time when public officials are demonstrating greater resistance to requests from reporters seeking government information, Freedom of Information Act requests take on heightened importance.

Fortunately, investigative journalists and press freedom advocates are aware of the challenges, and are sharing their FOIA lessons in ways that can benefit journalists everywhere. Here are some recent examples.

For Poynter, Kristen Hare gleans three tips about public records requests from Parker Yesko of The New Yorker. Yesko was featured on the podcast the WriteLane with Maria Carrillo and Lane DeGregory about her use of public records for an “In the Dark” podcast about a deadly 2005 massacre by U.S. Marines in Iraq.

In a recent edition of the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s “The Classifieds” newsletter, Lauren Harper discusses the use of FOIA to get information about the Department of Homeland Security’s election integrity unit and the Justice Department’s attempts to access voter data and equipment. This is critical information, she points out, a year before the midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg investigative reporter and FOIA expert Jason Leopold has started a podcast called Disclosure, to “delve into the wild backstories behind some of my FOIA requests, the lawsuits that ensued and the document dumps that made it all worth it.” He’s hosting it with First Amendment attorney Matt Topic.

Yet even veteran FOIA filers sometimes hit obstacles. An independent journalist in Michigan, Anna Matson, was told by Grand Blanc Township that she would have to pay $100,000 for the township to fulfill her request for information about discussions that led to the administrative leave and subsequent reinstatement of the local fire chief. Her story, reports Andrea Flores from Mid-Michigan Now, has gone viral. Matson’s original TikTok on the subject (she’s done several) can be viewed here.

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News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> How Seattle’s The Stranger became a progressive kingmaker (The New York Times)

Karen Weise describes the ritual in which candidates for local offices court endorsements from The Stranger, an alternative-weekly newspaper that has become an influential force in Seattle. Baked treats are often involved.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Trump faces criticism for referring to female Bloomberg reporter as ‘piggy’ (The Guardian) 

“Quiet. Quiet, Piggy,” the president said to a reporter on Air Force One who asked about the Jeffrey Epstein emails. The remark drew backlash from fellow journalists, writes Jeremy Barr, including some who have also been on the receiving end of Trump’s insults.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> AI video is threatening our ability to trust documentaries (The New York Times)

Exploring the infiltration of AI into documentaries, Alissa Wilkinson writes that “you may have watched a documentary in the last few years and thought what you were seeing was real — but it wasn’t.”

>> From API: How can we help you? Take our needs and impact survey

API is steadfast in our mission to support and strengthen local news leaders through practical programs, research, tools and training. We’d love to hear from you about what you need from us heading into 2026. Please take our survey, which can be accessed here.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> The old MSNBC relaunches into a new media world (Semafor)

In rebranding as MSNOW, the network is undertaking “its biggest gamble since it launched in 1996, even if its oldest viewers are unlikely to notice,” writes Max Tani. The network’s timing, he says, is “ideal” in many ways.

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What else you need to know

🌵Amid expanding news deserts, seeds of local journalism’s renewal take root in Tucson (Arizona Daily Star)

🛡️ Scripps tells staff a Sinclair takeover isn’t a done deal, even after surprise stock purchase (Poynter)

🐝 Beehiiv takes aim at Substack, Squarespace, and Patreon with expansion into full creator platform (Adweek)

🤝 Adams MultiMedia acquiring Cedar Rapids Gazette and 11 community titles (Cedar Rapids Gazette)