UCA students to discuss Faulkner County FOIA project during March 18 webinar

UCA students to discuss Faulkner County FOIA project during March 18 webinar

Panel to include academic, legal FOIA experts

FAULKNER COUNTY, Ark. — Arkansas SPJ partnered with the University of Central Arkansas journalism department to conduct a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) audit in Faulkner County in late 2024. 

The project was inspired by a statewide FOIA audit the Log Cabin Democrat and other media outlets conducted in 1999 and a similar project at Arkansas State University in 2009. The audit aimed to test the FOIA understanding of the custodians of public records throughout the county by simply seeking some of the most common documents covered under FOIA. 

On Nov. 15, 2024, students in UCA journalism classes set out to request public records from 16 agencies throughout Faulkner County. These agencies included police departments, the sheriff’s office, the health department, the school district and the city/county government. By and large, most agencies complied with FOIA without a hitch, but a couple of students ran into issues.

“We are incredibly proud of the UCA students and professors who dedicated their time to this project,” Wendy Jordan, Arkansas SPJ president, said. “FOIA is so important, and we applaud the efforts of UCA faculty and the leadership at the Log Cabin Democrat for organizing this event to ensure students gained this first-hand experience.”

The Log Cabin Democrat helped to plan the event and assisted with educating the students on the basics of FOIA before sending them into the field. Jeanette Stewart, Log Cabin Democrat editor and a board member for Arkansas SPJ, said this type of project provides valuable experience for students looking to enter the Arkansas journalism landscape. 

“Learning the importance of FOIA and effectively understanding the guidelines are paramount to any journalist,” Stewart said. “These students handled themselves expertly. I can’t wait to hear them discuss it.” 

Coverage of the event from the Log Cabin Democrat can be read here and coverage from the UCA’s student newspaper, The Echo can be found here. Arkansas SPJ will also host a webinar on March 18 where Torrie Herrington, Ethan Grannis and Mary LeSieur, who participated in the event, will present their findings from the project. 

Additional panelists will include UCA Assistant Professor of Journalism Rich Shumate, who incorporated the audit into his advanced reporting class; and David Keith, UCA journalism lecturer, who led the statewide audit in 1999 and whose students were a part of the current project; and Fort Smith FOIA attorney Joey McCutcheon. 

Arkansas SPJ treasurer and the UCA professor who spearheaded the project, Rob Moritz, will moderate the panel discussion. Moritz also serves as the Chairman of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Task Force.

“These students were eager to learn and did a fantastic job executing this audit,” Moritz. “They helped to not only test the custodians of the records’ knowledge, but help to educate those who seemed hesitant to comply. We are incredibly proud of these student volunteers.” 

The webinar will be from 1:40-2:30 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required for the event and can be completed here. 

ABOUT ARKANSAS SPJ: The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is an association of journalists and journalism supporters based in Little Rock, Arkansas. The group hosts several professional development, First Amendment and journalism education events each year in addition to the annual Diamond Journalism Awards. The group also co-sponsors with the Arkansas College Media Association competitive scholarships for Arkansas journalism students. For more information, visit arkansasspj.org. 

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