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FOIA Requests Increasingly Denied for Privacy, Not Security, Grounds

Federal agencies are increasingly using privacy claims to deny requests under the Freedom of Information Act, a trend that continued last year, even in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the war in Afghanistan, according to a study done for the IRE National Conference.

The study of FOIA annual reports from 13 Cabinet-level departments showed that nearly two in three denials over the past five years were based at least partly on privacy exemptions. For fiscal 2002, which ended Sept. 30, the rate was nearly four in five; in fiscal 1998, only four in 10 denials were based in whole or in part on privacy claims. National security claims were asserted in only about 1 percent of all denials of access to federal documents and records.

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Propaganda or News? Embedded Journalists Say They Provided Both

Embedded correspondents aided U.S. propaganda efforts during the recent Iraq war, but also provided information that could not have been obtained as efficiently by “lone-wolf” reporting, according to journalists who covered the war.

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Stories on Preparedness Are 'Ripe for the Picking,' Reporters Told   

There are great stories in almost every community in the nation for reporters investigating preparedness for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks, investigative reporters say. “The stories are out there, they’re ripe for the picking,” said Peter Eisler, an investigative reporter at USA Today. The panelists said journalists must hold government agencies accountable for adequate security at local nuclear and chemical sites.

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Bet On It: Investigative Story Was a Winner for Young Ben Bradlee

Ben Bradlee wrote his first investigative story at The Washington Post within his first few months at the paper -- and made a name for himself as a reporter in half an hour. The Post wanted to write a story on bookies and gambling in Washington. The editors, according to Bradlee, said, “Why don’t we give this guy Bradlee a shot?" Bradlee ran down the hall and asked a friend in the Sports Section, “Where are the bookies in this town?”  When Bradlee gave his editors the information, they said, "We've got a good guy here."

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Reporter describes award-winning DNA series

“Evidence of Errors,” a four-part series by KHOU, uncovered “repeated gross incompentence” in the Houston Police Department’s crime lab and its handling of DNA evidence that has led to the release of one man who had been convicted of rape, and appeals of many other cases. IRE judges said the series, which won the 2002 IRE award for best investigative piece in a top-20 market, was a “remarkable investigative project that is shifting a long-held belief that DNA evidence is irrefutable.” Investigative reporter David Raziq discusses how it felt to win the award, and describes the “oh, my God” moment he experienced during the investigation.

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