The public records request is perhaps the most powerful crowbar a journalist has to pry open urgent information and data hidden from public view. Freeing those records from the shadows can be especially vital during a pandemic, as agencies quickly make decisions that carry life-or-death consequences. But it’s rarely as simple as updating a file form and firing it off to the agency in question. Successful record requests are built on extensive pre-reporting, precisely detailed asks, a keen knowledge of public records laws, and patient and persistent follow-ups.

In this webinar, we’ll discuss the basics of records requests and strategies to make them more successful, before turning to some of the specific kinds of requests you might consider making around COVID-19 at this stage in the pandemic. For instance, how do you pry race and ethnicity data from public health officials who have stopped providing it when it comes to COVID deaths? We’ll take a look at which types of records are available — or should be — and share examples of pandemic news coverage built on requests any journalist could replicate. We’ll also consider how patient privacy law interacts with FOIA and state requests, identify potential pitfalls to avoid, and point to where progress needs to be made by journalists and others seeking to shine sunlight on local, state and federal decision-making and policy. Attendees will leave with fresh ideas and strategies for holding power to account in their coverage area.