RESEARCH TIPS
Finding freedom
Tarja Moles explains how you can use the Freedom of Information Act as a research tool
Tarja Moles
The Freedom of Information Act is a popular tool with journalists, and with investigative journalists in particular, as it can be used to gather information held by public authorities. However, it’s not just journalists who can make use of this – we can all request information and use it in our writing.
What is it?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 give the public the right to access official information. There are also other laws, such as the Environmental Information Regulations, that support transparency and allow anyone to access information held by public authorities. These authorities include, for example, government departments, local councils, state schools, police forces, the NHS and publicly-funded museums. You can find a full list of government departments, agencies and public bodies at www.gov.uk/government/organisations.