Dataharvest-EIJC21

Do you plan your tactics properly when using freedom of information legislation? Do you know how to get access to documents from local, national and European public bodies?

Learn from the most experienced when applying the freedom of information legislation in the EU and from other countries. In this Freedom of Information master class you will meet some of the journalists most experienced in using the access to information rules.
Program for the day:

10.00 Welcome

10.05-10.50: FOI for journalists and for the masses – Luisa Izuzquiza, FragDenStaat (Germany)
FOI can be a great tool for journalists - if it fits your story (and if you're lucky). In this session we will talk about different FOI strategies to obtain documents and how online FOI platforms can help you with that. A special focus will be put on FOI campaigns and how cooperation with NGOs and citizens can be crucial to some topics in the area of FOI. And we will talk a bit about strategic litigation, too!

11.00 Loing local and using GDPR as a tool – Tarjei Leer-Salvesen, Fædrelandsvennen (Norway)
FOI is a great tool in local journalism. In this session you will learn about a database with metadata on documents that helps the FOI process. We will see that GDPR can be used as tool to access information. And did you know there is value also in completely redacted and seemingly destroyed pages?

12.00 Lunch break

13.00-13.50 How to beat the EU system – Stéphane Horel, Le Monde (France)
How to FOI the EU Commission and its agencies. What can you get and which rules apply? What to do when the EU FOI flow is broken, and deadlines are not respected.

14.00-14.50 The little-known environmental short-cut to FOI – Staffan Dahllöf, freelance (Denmark/Sweden)
A little known sentence in an even less known legislation can be used as a door-opener. In times of climate actions, green deals and environment on the agenda, let’s use environmental tools. Here’s what, how and a bit of why you can use the Aarhus convention as a tool.