In a Pinch? On Deadline? Remember FOIA Friends

December 17, 2008–The Freedom of Information Act is still one of the most powerful tools in a reporter's toolbelt. Here's our short list of useful FOIA helpers.

MSHA Publishes Long-Withheld (but Legally Required) FOIA Report

December 17, 2008–The Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration finally released its Freedom of Information Act annual reports — after fighting veteran FOIA requester Mike Ravnitsky for some 18 months.

Federal Workers Union Wants Burrowers Lists

December 3, 2008–Federal employee unions want lists of political appointees whose status has been transferred to career civil service positions at the end of the Bush administration.

PACER Turns 20 — Still a Workhorse for Reporters

December 3, 2008–The PACER system puts many — but not all — federal court records on line. It's an easy-to-use information access tool for journalists.

Terrorism Database Speaks of Environmental Secrecy

December 3, 2008–For the past decade, federal and state officials have put an immense amount of environmental information behind a veil of secrecy, justifying it on the grounds that the information could help terrorists. A look at the most comprehensive open-source terrorism database offers strong evidence that such fears are ill-founded.

Whistleblowers Might Be Your Best Sources

December 3, 2008–Whistleblowers can be a reporter's best friend — although friends that must often be handled with care. If you know a federal agency employee who tells you "Call me on January 21" — be sure to do it.

TOOLBOX: Contractor Misconduct Database Offers Gumshoes Leads

November 20, 2008–The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) has a new tool for investigative journalists. Reporters can now snoop around the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database to find misdeeds by federal contractors.

Groups, Media Pitch Open-Government Proposals To New Administration

November 20, 2008–In an effort to increase government accountability and transparency, media groups put forward a new "21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda."

Science Survey: A Question of Science in EPA Air Regulation Decisions

November 15, 2008–Scientists advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on air pollution issues are criticizing EPA higher-ups for ignoring their scientific counsel. Specifically, they are accusing the Bush Administration of excising science from the process the agency uses to determine how clean the air we breathe should be. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) challenges EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

The Beat: The Roots of Conservatives' Environmental View

November 15, 2008–When the journalist and author William F. Buckley Jr. died last February, much was written and said about his seminal role in the growth of the modern conservative movement after he founded National Review magazine in 1955. Read as The Beat checks in on a few of the most influential journalists and publications identified with the conservative and libertarian regions of the political spectrum to offer a sampling of their recent treatment of environmental matters.