In this week’s FOIA roundup, a look at how open data was shown to be misleading through a FOIA request, the case of the high-priced pens, and what FOIA shows us about name brand drugs versus generics.

Despite lacking legal authority to do so, localities and agencies around the United States are still pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for delaying responses to public records requests, sometimes indefinitely.

Building on COVID Public Info, we’re excited to announce that we’re combining efforts with Documenting COVID-19. The project, based out of Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation, is similarly working to use public records to build a shared repository to benefit newsrooms around the country.

In this week’s roundup, we highlight the latest from MuckRock, federal FOIA lawsuits, and the plight of Illinois’s child wards.

In this week’s FOIA roundup, we highlight how COVID-19 is still delaying transparency in cities across America, even as its needed more than ever. Plus helpful resources for fighting for transparency from our friends at the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press and the FOIA Project.

Some of the nation’s largest cities are stilling using COVID-19 as an excuse to delay records requests.

The president of SPJ Oregon talks about how the state’s restrictions on public health data make it more difficult to understand COVID, offers tips to new filers, and tells us about her favorite Magic-related records request.

As part of our ongoing COVID Public Info collaboration, we’re hosting a free webinar this Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern detailing how to read local medical examiner data. RSVP today and register for future updates.

For months, governors across the country have put in requests for more protective equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. Despite federal assurances that equipment shortages were in a better place, many orders remain unfilled.

As part of our ongoing COVID Public Info training series, we’re excited to host Julia Raifman and Kristen Nocka to discuss their work and findings from COVID-19 US state policy database (CUSP), a project to obtain and analyze as many state-wide emergency orders and mandates as possible. Here are resources referenced during the discussion, as well as ways to get future updates from COVID Public Info.