A Message from the SPJ Detroit President on our FOIA Festival

Dear SPJ members and friends of journalism;

Thank you for your support and participation during our first Freedom of Information- FOIA- Festival on October 12th.

SPJ Detroit and our co-sponsor Wayne State University brought together over 125 journalists, community leaders, and students to champion reform and awareness of Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act for better government transparency. FOIA Fest was a collaborative event made possible by several media outlets and news organizations including the Michigan Coalition for Open Government and The Michigan Press Association among others.

Our keynote speaker was Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel who called Michigan’s FOIA restrictions “embarrassing” and acknowledged the need for reform. This call for reform was empathized from State Senator Jeremy Moss who has introduced legislative reform measures in Lansing. SPJ will be following these legislative actions and will post updates.

In the meantime, if you could not attend our FOIA Festival, I invite you to view the video montage of the event with excerpts from the keynote speakers and panelists below.

Additionally, there are website links from Detroit News reporter Sarah Rahal and reports from several Wayne State University student journalists who covered the sessions. See photos from the event here.

Stay tuned to our website for updates on FOIA reform along with upcoming SPJ Detroit events and announcements. More to come and more reason to join SPJ Detroit.

Sincerely,

Beth Konrad

President

SPJ Detroit

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