The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication
Links to Professional Resources
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
1. Committee to Protect Journalists
This website features news pertaining to journalists’ safety and tracks attacks on journalists worldwide.
Follow on Twitter: @pressfreedom
2. Constitution Center: Free Speech and Press Cases in the Courts
This is an episode of Jeffery Rosen’s podcast, “We the People,” that focuses on recent free-press issues, including the revocation of journalists’ press passes.
3. Department of Justice: Freedom of Information Act
This site provides the full text of the Freedom of Information Act.
Follow on Twitter: @TheJusticeDept
4. Federal Bureau of Investigation: Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act
This website is an example of how a federal agency, the FBI, accommodates the Freedom of Information Act and those who wish to file FOIA requests. As the site proclaims, it provides one-point access to information that may be found in the FBI’s Central Records System.
Follow on Twitter: @FBI
5. Freedom of the Press Foundation: Freedom of Information Feed
This page provides recent news stories about freedom of information issues.
Follow on Twitter: @FOIAFeed (This account highlights reporting that makes use of the Freedom of Information Act and other public records laws. A special project of @FreedomofPress).
6. Knight Foundation: Forecasting Freedom of Information
This study by journalism professor David Cuillier reports on growing concerns about signals of less transparency in government.
Follow on Twitter: @knightfdn
7. National Freedom of Information Coalition: Sample FOIA Request Letters
The National Freedom of Information Coalition provides sample letters to make requests for government documents under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
Follow on Twitter: @NFOIC
8. National Freedom of Information Coalition: State Law Resources
The National Freedom of Information Coalition provides links to the freedom of information laws in every state and the District of Columbia, sample FOIA requests, and other information pertinent to requesting documents from government agencies.
Follow on Twitter: @NFOIC
9. National Institutes of Health: Freedom of Information Act Office
This website is an example of how a federal agency, the National Institutes of Health, accommodates the Freedom of Information Act and those who wish to file FOIA requests. The site includes guidance on how to file a request.
Follow on Twitter: @NIH
10. Society of Professional Journalists: FOI for pros
This page includes a step-by-step guide for submitting FOIA requests.
Follow on Twitter: @spj_tweets