The experience of journalists with the FOI process is often marked by delays, unresponsiveness, or refusals on unverifiable grounds

Mária Žuffová discusses the role of freedom of information (FOI) laws in journalism. By surveying journalists, interviewing activists and civil servants, and submitting FOI requests to government ministries she identifies a number of problems with the process. Journalists reported that their requests were often refused on questionable grounds, delayed, or not responded to at all. One of the consequences of this is that journalists might choose to use loopholes in the law in order to be able to publish stories that are in the public interest.