How Freedom of Information Act Requests Can Help Comms Pros Land Strong Stories

Freedom of Information Act requests remain one of the most powerful tools for uncovering fresh data and creating original news stories.

Steph Spyro is the creator of Off the Record

I love a good Freedom of Information Act request. They’re one of my favourite things to send off to public bodies… and one of my favourite things to receive from the small number of comms pros who use them.

Before I go any further, I should say I’m not advocating for people to use them willy-nilly. Public authorities are stretched for time and resources. But used properly, they can be a fantastic tool for gathering exclusive information and creating strong stories.

FOIs uncover information that isn’t otherwise in the public domain. I’d encourage everyone to check out Relight My FOI, the blog by The Times’ investigations reporter George Greenwood. He specialises in using transparency laws to fight for access to records that can hold the government to account… and he does a fantastic job of it!

Of course, there are limitations to FOIs. Requests can be refused for a number of reasons: the information may already be available, it might exceed cost limits or there could be national security grounds for withholding it. From a journalist’s perspective, it can sometimes feel like there’s a laundry list of reasons for saying no. That’s why the real skill lies in how a request is crafted.

Authorities can often try to prevent the disclosure of information, especially when they know a reporter is on the other end of the request. Although, legally, this shouldn’t make a difference. In reality, it does. The requester is legally obligated to use their full, real name when submitting a request. So, no Elvis Presley or NerdStar3456 works here.

There’s a comms pro who regularly submits FOIs and sends the resulting data my way. I always enjoy hearing from him. The data is fresh (that’s the nature of FOIs) and it always links back to a client of his. I see it as a win-win.

FOIs make great stories because they’re data-driven and exclusive.

It works even better at a time when newsrooms are under pressure. Reporters often don’t have the capacity to submit requests themselves, especially more complex ones to multiple bodies, or to deal with the sometimes lengthy process that follows. This could include asking for an internal review or even escalating the case further if necessary.

The best requests are tightly focused, ask for clearly defined data and avoid anything so broad it risks being rejected on cost grounds. For example, asking an NHS trust for “all emails relating to waiting lists since 2019” would likely involve searching thousands of inboxes and could easily breach the cost threshold.

Officials should get back to you within 20 working days (caveats apply) but it generally means a well-timed request can land fresh data right when you need it.

So, how should a comms pro go about crafting and submitting an FOI request?