Freedom of Information Award ( 10,001 and Over Multi-Day,5,001 - 10,000 Multi-Day,Over 7,000,3,001 to 7,000,1,501 to 3,000,1,001 - 1,500,Under 1,000,Under 5,000 Multi-Day)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Duluth News Tribune Entry Title: Duluth Public Schools and data practices Entry Credit: Adelle Whitefoot Judge Comment: The Duluth News Tribune’s Adelle Whitefoot pushed for access to important public records and won. She secured help from the Minnesota Newspaper Association and an opinion from state open records administrators in her quest for public release of details about the sale of the Historic Old Central High School. When the school district finally released the information at 5 p.m. on a Friday, Whitefoot had the first version of the story posted within 40 minutes with an update later in the evening. Her work is an important step in keep governments accountable and in paving the way for easier access to public data in the future.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Fargo/Moorhead - The Forum Entry Title: Forum Freedom of Information entry Entry Credit: Robin Huebner, C.S. Hagen Judge Comment: As University of North Dakota students returned to campus and COVID-19 cases spiked, a behind-the-scenes tug of war was going on about local mitigations in Grand Forks, particularly on the idea of enacting a mask requirement for indoor public places. The Herald secured emails and text messages involving the university president, mayor and council members revealing differences over a mask mandate that eventually was imposed by the city at the end of October. The Herald overcame several hurdles to produce this story, including an initial cost estimate of $42,000 for the city to comply with the open records request. The newspaper persisted and was able to shed light on the local political and public health aspects of controlling COVID-19 transmission.
