FOI FRIDAY: 10 FOI ideas for journalists is back!

Welcome to the return of FOI – a weekly look at FOI stories which are worth sharing (and in many cases, copying). As an added incentive to read on, this blog will also celebrate/shame those councils who prove that actions speak louder than words when it comes to delivering on the principles of FOI and

FOI Friday: What gets stolen from shops, dangerous animals in Chester, zero hour council contracts and finds by police diving teams

What is being stolen in shoplifting incidents? < Exeter Express and Echo A £22,500 shotgun has been stolen from an Exeter store and was never returned, it has been revealed today. The vintage weapon was stolen in March this year according to new information about shoplifting in the region from Devon and Cornwall Police. The

20 great storm photos which show us how journalism is changing

The recent storms – which are continuing as I write this – have dominated many local news websites and their associated newspapers. Great images have not been in short supply. This isn’t meant to be a ’20 great images’ post, but a collection of images which tell us something about how we cover big weather

FOI FRIDAY: Booze seized, student homes, £690 a shift at the council and meals worth £150k thrown away

10 good examples of FOI in action from the local, regional and national media: 1. The rise in the number of student homes (Falmouth Packet) A startling statistic emerging from a Freedom of Information request which is then built upon to find out the impact behind said statistic – the recipe for a strong FOI-based

FOI Friday: Dirty hospitals, re-employed redundant council workers, lost dogs and drug warrants

A fortnightly round-up of FOI-based stories which could be followed up anywhere… The secret past of would-be teachers < < < Sunday Sun POSSESSING explosives, being drunk while in charge of a child, death by reckless driving and indecent assault on a girl . . these are just some of the serious criminal convictions would-be

FOI Friday: Dirty schools, lying parents, superbug deaths and attacks on postment

Children lose school places after parents lie < < < Birmingham Mail RECORD numbers of Birmingham children are being left devastated by the city council withdrawing their prized place at school because the youngsters’ parents lied on their application form. The local authority has taken places off eight pupils who were due to start their

FOI Friday: Cops on desk duty, idle ambulances, data losses, council refurbishments and schoolchild crimes

Coppers on desk duty The debate rages on about whether government cuts are going to hit frontline services or the just the fabled bloated back offices and the Manchester Evening News came up with a new angle into the discussion this week: the number of frontline police officers on the desk duties through illness. In

FOI FRIDAY: Underage booze, cops buying lip balm, quango spending and some interesting hospitality

1. Venues caught selling booze to under-aged teens Proof of the value of local knowledge when it comes to an FOI came from the South Wales Echo this week. Ed Walker initially had his request for the names of all venues caught selling booze to youngsters refused by the authorities – so he appealed it,

FOI Friday: 10 things we’ve learnt this week thanks to the Freedom of Information Act

Lying Parents School place appeals stories are always popular and controversial, and in recent years many councils have vowed to get tough on those who lie to get their children into good schools. But how many parents have been found to be lying? The Gloucestershire Echo used FOI to find out. Forced adoptions A good