OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media presents access to information toolkit for journalists

Berlin, 3 May 2010 – To mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day, which has a special focus on the Right to Know, the OSCE, Access Info (Madrid), and Berlin-based n-ost Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe will present a toolkit for journalists on how to use their right of access to information, the “Legal Leaks Toolkit”.

The right to know is the fundamental right of journalists and all citizens to access information held by public bodies. This right is an essential part of the right to freedom of expression anchored in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Legal Leaks Toolkit (copies will be available on 3 May from www.legalleaks.info) is a guide for journalists on how to make requests for information in 45 countries in the OSCE region, including most EU countries, the USA and Canada. It provides journalists with 20 Top Tips on how to use the right of access to information as a research tool, and gives guidance on how to turn both documents accessed and refusals into stories.

The Legal Leaks project being run by Access Info and n-ost will span several years and integrate training, legal support, and advocacy. Journalists will be supported in filing requests in different countries and over time the Legal Leaks project will develop a pan-European resource network for use by both local and investigative journalists.

Legal Leaks Toolkit