foxnews.com

FOIA-POWERED STORY: Danger in the cockpit: FAA records show pilots fly drunk, engage in criminal activity | Fox News

Story clip: An American Airlines pilot flunked two sobriety tests before a 7 a.m. flight out of Detroit. An Alaska Airlines pilot flew a commercial plane from California to Oregon and back again, all while allegedly drunk. Yet another pilot, from United, allegedly moonlighted as a pimp, running half a dozen brothels out of apartments in Houston, according to authorities.

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, pilot misbehaviors cited by the Federal Aviation Administration would not have come to light.

wsj.com

FOIA-powered story: Broadband Data Caps Pressure ‘Cord Cutters’

STORY CLIP: Data limits by home Internet providers like Comcast and AT&T, which also offer pay-TV services, are forcing people who stream Netflix or Sling TV or play online games to ration Web usage or pay surcharges.

Thomas Gryta and Shalini Ramachandran

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the reporters would not have obtained FCC data revealing that complaints to the FCC related to data caps are on the rise.

bigstory.ap.org

Immigrant kids placed with adults who are in US illegally

STORY CLIP: LOS ANGELES (AP) — The vast majority of immigrant children who arrive alone at the U.S. border are placed by the government with adults who are in the country illegally, federal data reviewed by The Associated Press show.…

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the Department of Health and Human Services would not have released cumulative data.

japantimes.co.jp

Contamination: Kadena Air Base's dirty secret | The Japan Times

STORY CLIP: For the first time, documents released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act reveal extensive pollution on an active American base in Japan.

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the efforts to avoid public disclosure of the contamination at Kadena Air Base may have succeeded.

WITHOUT FOIA tries to show FOIA’s impact by highlighting the stories revealed by persistent journalists using the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA’s strengths and limits affect our communities and our lives. 

It’s our duty to protect and strengthen the free flow of information in our democracy. These stories show why.

usatoday.com

VA bosses in 7 states falsified vets' wait times for care

STORY CLIP: Supervisors instructed schedulers to falsify patient wait times at Veterans Affairs' medical facilities in at least seven states, according to newly released investigation reports from the department’s inspector general.

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA (and the hounding of journalists), the inspector general findings would have stayed within the walls of government while the extent of the problem goes unaddressed.

theguardian.com

Why US drug reform still couldn't stop deportation of two immigrants

STORY CLIP: Legal permanent residents’ prison sentences were reduced but ICE officials find ‘no compelling reason’ to stop removal of Junior Francisco and Rodolfo Padilla

Renée Feltz

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the story would not have mentioned that deportations after convictions for drug possession offenses increased 43 percent from 2007-2012.

eenews.net

FLINT CRISIS: EPA initially avoided leading response -- documents

STORY CLIP: U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy came out swinging against the state of Michigan this week, calling the state's environmental agency "dismissive, misleading and unresponsive" in an op-ed and asserting that the water crisis in Flint was the consequence of a money-saving scheme. But documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act paint a more nuanced image of the relationship between the federal agency and its state counterpart.

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, EPA’s reluctance to take a bigger role after discovering lead in Flint’s drinking water may never have been known.

wsbradio.com

Atlanta airport employees flagged for ties to terrorism

STORY CLIP: Six employees working for private companies at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were identified as having potential ties to terrorists, according to documents obtained exclusively by WSB’s Washington Bureau.

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the news outlet would not have learned the extent to which airport workers are identified as having ties to terrorism.

fayobserver.com

Improper rigging may have contributed to paratrooper's death at Sicily drop zone

STORY CLIP: Spc. Nicholas Roberts must have known his weapons case didn't feel quite right.

By Amanda Dolasinski Staff writer

WITHOUT FOIA

Without FOIA, the reporter may not have discovered the mistakes that investigators said led to the accident that killed a paratrooper.