Journalists play a central role in initiating and stimulating public debates, but face constant challenges in accessing information from public bodies, particularly when that information relates to sensitive issues such as corruption, organised crime, environmental contamination, or relationships with business and lobby groups.
The right of access to information and access to information laws have become a crucial tool in this context. They guarantee journalists access to information held by public bodies for their stories and investigations, enabling them to exercise their role as public watchdogs in our democracies.
The Legal Leaks Toolkit, developed by Access Info Europe and n-ost, helps journalists obtain information using access to information laws.
The Legal Leaks Toolkit
This toolkit is designed for journalists working in any media – newspapers, radio, and television – as well as bloggers and other information professionals who need to get access to information held by public bodies for their stories.
The toolkit is for journalists making requests in their own country or considering filing a request in another country. It is based on a comparative analysis of the access to information of the 42 countries of the Council of Europe region which have such laws. In many places in the text we have put references where national law or practice deviates from the normal access to information standards.
Download here the international version of the Legal Leaks Toolkit (in English) which can be adapted to the legal framework of any country. The existing national versions, translated into local languages, are available here.
Currently available national versions of the Toolkit: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.