NPC Workshop: Making the Freedom of Information Act Work for You

News provided by

Oct 28, 2013, 04:13 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Club will offer workshops this fall to help reporters learn how to submit government Freedom of Information Act requests that quickly get results.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO)

The two-part class will take place on Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Club's Zenger Room. The instruction is cosponsored by the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the Club's Press Freedom Committee. The instructor is veteran journalist and attorney Lisette Garcia.

http://www.press.org/events/making-freedom-information-act-foia-work-you-session-i

http://www.press.org/events/making-freedom-information-act-foia-work-you-session-ii

Participants will review case studies and learn how to overcome standard objections raised by U.S. records custodians at local, state and federal levels. The first session will deal with initial requests, while the follow-up session will focus on appeals.

Registration fee for National Press Club members is $25 for both classes or $15 for one. The fee for non-members is $55 for both classes or $30 for one.

Garcia founded the FOIA Resource Center to help lawmakers, journalists and nonprofit organizations quickly and cost-effectively obtain executive agency records. She worked previously as a reporter or editor at The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and the Associated Press.

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. It's located at 529 14th Street NW in Washington, D.C., on the 13th floor of the National Press Building. Founded in 1908, the Club comprises more than 3,000 reporters and news sources.

The NPC Journalism Institute is the Club's non-profit arm. Its mission is to train communications professionals in a changing media environment, provide scholarships to the next generation of journalists, recognize excellence in journalism and promote a free press, the cornerstone of a free society.

The Club's Press Freedom Committee spearheads the organization's efforts to combat repression of reporters and advance transparency in the United States and around the world.

Contacts: Lisette Garcia: (202) 413-5243; @foiafactor

John M. Donnelly: (202) 650-6738; [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club