Reporters Committee launches survey of journalists on "Release to One, Release to All" FOIA policy

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is conducting a survey of journalists and news organizations on a "Release to One, Release to All" policy under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Generally, the policy calls for records released in response to a FOIA request to be simultaneously posted online for public viewing. A handful of federal agencies recently finished a pilot program, and the federal government is now seeking to roll out the policy across the executive branch.

Some reporters have expressed concerns that simultaneous release of records might negatively affect their reporting, “giving away” their scoops that come from FOIA releases. Others are less concerned about the policy, especially if there is a delay built in between the release to the requester and public posting. Beyond anecdotal evidence, however, there has been no large-scale survey on the views of those in the news media.

To address this lack of information, the Reporters Committee is asking reporters, editors, and others working in a journalistic capacity to respond to a brief survey on the “Release to One, Release to All” policy.

The survey seeks to gather a variety of data that will be compiled, analyzed, and published by the Reporters Committee, as well as presented to various government entities involved in developing FOIA policies. The survey is comprised of 11 questions, and will be open until midnight on August 16, 2016.

To access the survey, please visit this link: https://goo.gl/forms/OgNLuZfrpeBLwFL63 (please submit only one response).