Learn more about our speakers and get your tickets for FOIA Fest today!
8:30 a.m. ｜Check in
9 a.m. ｜ Welcome remarks, Skyline Suite
Shruti Singh, VP of FOIA, Headline Club
9:05 a.m. ｜Keynote interview
Keynote interview: Jason Leopold and Matt Topic
We’ll kick off FOIA Fest with a live recording of the “Disclosure” podcast about the Freedom of Information Act with hosts Jason Leopold, Senior Investigative Reporter, Bloomberg News and Matt Topic, Partner, Loevy + Loevy
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.｜ FOIA Fest help desk, Lakeside Suite
- Shelley Geiszler, Attorney, Loevy & Loevy
10:10 a.m. ｜FOIA Fest session 1, 50 minutes
What immigration information to seek, Skyline Suite
Our panel of local reporters will address the importance of reporting on this topic in the current environment. What elements need coverage, where does the information reside and what are the challenges to reporting on immigration? This panel will offer an open forum for discussion.
- Francia Garcia Hernandez, Pilsen, Little Village and Back of the Yards Reporter, Block Club Chicago
- Gregory Royal Pratt, Investigative Reporter, Chicago Tribune
- Alex V. Hernandez, Lincoln Square, North Center & Irving Park Reporter, Block Club Chicago
- Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, Immigration Reporter, WBEZ Chicago (brief recorded interview)
- Moderator: Michael Puente, Reporter/Weekend Anchor, WBEZ Chicago
FOIA 101, Room 1624AB
Let’s start the day with a solid foundation. Our panel of experts will outline the what, when, who, where and why of the Freedom of Information Act. Get an understanding for the first time or a refresher on this essential reporting tool to begin a day of more in depth learning about FOIA.
- Maya Dukmasova, Senior Reporter, Injustice Watch
- Adam Rhodes, Editor, The IRE Journal
- Jonathan Manes, Associate Professor of Law, Northwestern University
- Moderator: Darcel Rockett, Senior Journalist, Chicago Tribune
How do legislators seek to change Illinois’ public access laws? Room 1623
Sophia Van Pelt, senior policy analyst for the Better Government Association, discusses her analysis of all the bills impacting Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act from spring and summer of 2025. Her findings provide insight on how FOIA exemptions become law, the most common ways that legislators seek to change FOIA, and what threats to FOIA the public should be most aware of.
11:20 a.m. ｜FOIA Fest Session 2, 50 minutes
Decoding DHS data: How to decipher truth from fiction, Skyline Suite
Weeding through Department of Homeland Security arrest and detention data can prove challenging, especially in an age of misinformation and spin. In this workshop, three experienced Chicago reporters deliver best practices and tips for reporters driven to deliver accurate stories based on federal data.
- Amy Qin, Data Reporter, WBEZ
- Joe Mahr, Investigative Reporter, Chicago Tribune
- Jim Daley, Investigations editor, South Side Weekly
- Moderator: Jeff Arnold, National Digital Reporter, NewsNation
Sticking the landing: Knowing when to publish your investigation, Room 1624AB
Landing an enterprise story that includes information from FOIA requests is difficult for many first time investigative reporters — even those who have years of non-investigative experience. Stalled FOIA requests, insufficient funding to cover the full scope of freelance work, managing new or evolving information, and determining the right moment to publish for maximum impact can present barriers. This session will explore how three early career investigative journalists have overcome these challenges.
- Emeline Posner, Reporter, Investigative Project on Race and Equity
- Tatiana Walk-Morris, Independent Journalist (Freelance)
- Nicole Jeanine Johnson, Investigative Reporter, Chicago Public Media
You should file a FOIA every day, Room 1623
Okay, maybe not every day. But filing frequent FOIAs is a great way to sharpen your skills, build your beat and learn how public records are generated, maintained and processed. Join this session to learn more about what can come from getting into the habit of daily FOIA-filing, including managing large-scale FOIA projects, coming up with ideas for requesting and navigating appeals and denials.
- Cam Rodriguez, Data Reporter
12:10 p.m. ｜Lunch break sponsored by Loevy & Loevy, Lakeside Suite
1 p.m. ｜ Watchdog + A-Mark Prize winners announced, Lakeside Suite
The Chicago Headline Club will announce the winners of the Watchdog Award and the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting and Editing.
1:30 p.m. ｜ FOIA Fest session 3, 50 minutes
Editing data-driven investigations: From FOIA strategy to publication, Skyline Suite
This session focuses on the editor’s role in FOIA-driven investigations: shaping FOIA strategy, asking the right questions of the data, supporting reporters working through unfamiliar methods, and ensuring accuracy and verification from pitch to publication.
- Alden Loury, Senior Editor, Data Projects, WBEZ Chicago
- Matt Kiefer, Assistant Professor, Medill School
- Jennifer Smith Richards, Reporter, ProPublica
- Moderator: Kimbriell Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Public Media
How to use FOIA to hold public schools accountable? Room 1624AB
Chicago Public Schools is looking for a new top leader and transitioning to an elected school board as it grapples with lingering academic fallout from the pandemic and the Trump administration’s threats. Three experienced local education reporters deft at digging deep into public records and data discuss several recent projects that relied heavily on FOIA. Those include deep dives into high school absenteeism in Chicago Public Schools, bullying at a neighborhood elementary school and a controversial school visit by the feds.
- Sarah Karp, Education Reporter, WBEZ
- Nell Salzman, Local Investigations Fellow, The New York Times
- Moderator: Mila Koumpilova, Senior Reporter, Chalkbeat Chicago
Silenced by policy: Using public records to challenge agency gag rules, Room 1623
Who’s allowed to talk to the press? According to the First Amendment, the answer should be almost anyone, but the reality for employees at many governmental bodies is much worse. Agency gag rules and public records non-compliance are two sides of the same coin: Effective and illegal methods of maintaining a certain public image at the cost of transparency. In this session, learn about the Society of Professional Journalist’s FOIA research on gag rules and how to use public records to conduct an audit of these policies at agencies you care about.
- Lena Shapiro, Director, First Amendment Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Law
- Anne Marie Tamburro, Press Freedom Counsel, Society of Professional Journalists
2:40 p.m. ｜ FOIA Fest Session 4, 50 minutes
Legal review and ethics for editors: Lessons from real FOIA-based stories, Skyline Suite
This session walks through FOIA-based investigations that underwent legal review, using concrete examples to explore libel risk, privacy concerns, source protection, and ethical decision-making. Panelists will break down how editors, reporters, and legal experts work together before publication.
- Matt Topic, Partner, Loevy + Loevy
- Renee Griffin, Staff Attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Steve Warmbir, Senior Investigations Editor, Illinois Answers Project / Better Government Association
- Monica Eng, Reporter, Axios Chicago
Corporate stories from public records, Room 1624AB
Public record requests don’t have to be just for reporting on government agencies. FOIA requests can be essential tools to unearth data and information on companies and industries. Seasoned business journalists will discuss techniques for using FOIA to cover Corporate America.
- Kiel Porter, Reporter, Bloomberg News
- John Keilman, Reporter, Wall Street Journal
- Moderator: Shruti Singh, VP of FOIA Fest, Reporter at Bloomberg News
Automating public records requests with FOIAmail, 1623
Local governments maintain some of the most important public records, but gathering that information at scale can be a challenge. FOIAmail 2.0 streamlines this process, empowering journalists to send requests to many agencies at once and managing the flow of incoming data and documents. Built by Medill School students, faculty, and staff at Northwestern University’s Knight Lab, this browser-based tool will help small newsrooms report big stories. Attend this session to see how FOIAmail works, learn about our development process and sign up to help test it.
- Matt Kiefer, Assistant Professor, Medill School
- William Tong, Student, Northwestern University
- Yong-Yu Huang, Student, Northwestern University
- Misha Oberoi, Student, Northwestern University