Category Archives: Freedom Of Information

The three parts required for the whole story (infographic)

Posted on May 5, 2013 by

This morning on Five Live Investigates – arguably one of the most under-rated shows dedicated to investigative journalism around – I had a bit of an epiphany.  The result of that epiphany is the infographic I’ve tried to create above … Continue reading →

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An FOI request to lift the lid on the things press offices try to keep quiet

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

Did you hear the one about the Norfolk police dog which was sent on a training course after it killed a cat while pursuing a burglar, and then killed a sheep in a field too? Readers of the East Anglian … Continue reading →

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FOI FRIDAY: Shop burglaries, looked after children a long way from home, army redundancies and homeless in B&Bs

Posted on March 30, 2013 by

‘Looked after’ children housed in different counties < < < Bury Free Press More than 130 looked after children in Suffolk are being placed outside the county as the demand for placements increases. Following a Freedom of Information request, the … Continue reading →

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FOI: How Peppa Pig proved the value of Freedom of Information

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

This is Peppa Pig. Peppa likes many things. Peppa likes jumping in muddy puddles. Peppa likes doing sport at school. Peppa also likes going shopping on a Sunday in Dartford. And that’s probably the best place for me to stop … Continue reading →

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FOI Friday: Illegal immigrants, councils using dating sites, suspended staff and the long cost of PFI

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

How many miles of roadworks in your area? < < < In Cumbria MOTORISTS in Cumbria face around 600 miles of roadworks every year. Figures obtained in a Freedom of Information response showed that, at the end of January, there … Continue reading →

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FOI Friday: Cannabis, university spending, race crimes at the football and asbestos in council buildings

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

Unpaid court fines tops £4million – Bedfordshire On Sunday MORE than £4 million in court fines is owed to courts in Bedfordshire, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. The figures, released by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), … Continue reading →

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How FOI changes would incentivise inefficiency … surely the Government can’t want that?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by

I spent yesterday afternoon at a briefing held by the Campaign for Freedom of Information over proposed changes to the legislation which is supposed to hand us all the right to know. The Campaign’s excellent Maurice Frankel delivered to succinct … Continue reading →

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FOI FRIDAY: Lost property, tobacco investments, repeat offenders and long ambulance waits

Posted on February 2, 2013 by

10 good examples of FOI in action from the local, regional and national media: The longest ambulance delays – Huddersfield Examiner Tony Blair – and politicians in general – may not be made keen on the Freedom of Information Act, … Continue reading →

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Why is it always the easy questions that leave ‘em stumped?

Posted on January 13, 2013 by

One of my New Year resolutions was to try and stop spending so much money on car parks, especially at train stations (£15 a day is now, frighteningly, actually good value). It’s for that reason that on Tuesday I was … Continue reading →

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FOI FRIDAY: Asbestos, Facebook, police cells and sham marriages

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

10 good examples of FOI in action from the local, regional and national media: 1. Asbestos found at public buildings – Milford Mercury Asbestos, known as the silent killer, is regularly the subject of health and safety campaigns – so … Continue reading →

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