Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for Journalists is written to inform, instruct and inspire journalists on the investigate possibilities offered by the UK Freedom of Information Act.

Matt Burgess is a UK-based journalist, who has experience of writing for all the national newspapers as well as editing experience on a wide variety of trade publications.. Many of his stories for these publications have been based on information obtained by the Freedom of Information Act. He is the founder of the FOI Directory website (www.foidirectory.co.uk), a tool for researchers, academics, journalists and anyone involved or passionate about the Freedom of Information Act in the United Kingdom and beyond. Matt is also a frequent speaker on the Act and advises individuals on the best way to make use of it.

1. The Act 2. FOI in the media's view 3. Accessing other information 4. The FOI exemptions 5. How to write a successful FOI request 6. How to utilise FOI 7. Case studies 8. Know your rights 9. Appeals 10. Journalistic considerations 11. FOI Around the World 12. The rise of open data Appendix: Request templates