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Regional press news - this story published 23 November 2006

Call for editors to campaign on plans to curb media's FOI requests

by holdthefrontpage staff

An industry body is calling on local newspaper editors to step up a campaign against potential changes to Freedom of Information laws, which could restrict access to data by journalists.

The Newspaper Society believes that the regional press could be badly affected by Government plans to restrict use of the Freedom of Information Act by "serial" requestors such as newspapers.

The Society’s Santha Rasaiah said: "It may be possible to dissuade the Government or persuade it to adopt a less damaging way to take account of costs, if it is put under sufficient public pressure by media coverage, questions from MPs and objections from other users of the Act."

She is calling on editors to:

Contact local MPs – raise the issue in meetings and discussions; send a letter plus cuttings, to be forwarded to Ministers responsible;

Ask MPs to raise the matter in questions and Early Day Motions;

Launch in-paper campaigns or cover the issue editorially, with examples of local campaigns and stories that stem from FOI requests from journalists and local users, to show the information, inquiries and requests under threat;

Brief political editors and lobby correspondents;

Brief other users in the community, who might be unaware of the potential effect – and canvass examples, information, arguments and support.

The FOI changes could allow local authorities to aggregate the cost of all requests made to it by the same individual or organisation and refuse them all if the total cost exceeds the Act's cost limits of £600 for Government departments or £450 for other bodies.

This could to prevent organisations making more than one or two requests to any public authority in a three month period.

Local authorities would also be allowed to refuse, on cost grounds, any request which involves a large amount of "thinking" time such as requests that require considerable internal discussion within the authority.

The Newspaper Society’s push wants editors to use examples where these changes would curtail coverage – and give local examples in articles on their pages. Highlighting stories which have required "thinking time" would also show readers the value of allowing the current system to continue.

More information on the FOI Act and the Government’s proposals can be found in the Government response to the Constitutional Affairs Committee’s report:

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