Seattle open-government attorney Angela Galloway prepared this presentation, "10 Habits of Highly Effective Open-Records Users," for journalists at Seattle NewsTrain on Nov. 11, 2017. In it, she lists those habits, with an emphasis on the Washington state Public Records Act. She also provides examples of stories done by requesting public records. It is accompanied by two handouts, one of the same name, and "A Quick Quiz on Washington Open Government." NewsTrain is a training initiative of Associated Press Media Editors (APME). More info: http://bit.ly/NewsTrain

1. 10 Habits of Highly Effective
Public Records Users

2. Getting Started
1. Introduction: Use of PRA
2. Examples
3. What We
Will Cover

3. The
Seattle
Times’
Oso
Coverage

4. The
Seattle
Times:
“Quan
tity of
Care”
The Swedish-Cherry Hill campus, in Seattle's Central District. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)
By Mike Baker and Justin Mayo
Seattle Times staff reporters
Published February 10, 2017
QUANTITY OF CARE | A SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONQUANTITY OF CARE | A SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONQUANTITY OF CARE | A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
QUANTITY OF CARE | A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
HIGH VOLUME,
BIG DOLLARS,
RISING TENSION
A LOST VOICE THE O.R. FACTORY MORE COVERAGE NEWS​LETTER ! SHARE
" # $ % &

5. King 5’s Coverage of
Wash. State Ferries
Lawmakers act on KING 5 investigation into ferry system
spending spree
Susannah Frame, KING 12:50 AM. PDT May 18, 2017
Lawmakers are considering new legislation following the latest
KING 5 investigation on Washington State Ferries (WSF).
On Wednesday the Senate Labor, Commerce and Sports
Committee held a fact finding hearing in Olympia in response
to the report based on an analysis of five years of WSF
financial data obtained through a request for public records.
Despite pledges from transportation officials that the cash-
strapped ferry system was cutting out excessive forms of
compensation for many of its workers and saving millions of tax dollars in the process, the KING
investigation showed WSF has been spending more on labor costs every year since 2012.
Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, is chair of the committee and called for the hearing.
Baumgartner said the most troubling portion of the report centered on how types of
compensation that were eliminated by the legislature and WSF management were quietly added
back on, which led to the soaring labor costs.
"When we saw the information (on TV) there were a lot of people saying 'Wow, this is
concerning. Let's see what's going on here,'" said Baumgartner.
The benefits were tacked back on through collective bargaining between labor unions and the
state, led by representatives of the governor's office. In the state of Washington the governor's
Labor Relations Office (LRO) is charged with leading the talks.

6. The
Herald’s
Political
Coverage

7. Quiz Time

8. Tip No. 1
Have a Government-
Record
Frame-of-Mind

9. Tip No. 2 Remember the PRA’s
Presumption of
Openness

10. Tip No. 3
Know Which Govt.
“Agencies” are
Covered by the PRA

11. Tip No. 4
Know Which Govt.
“Records” are
Covered by the PRA

12. Tip No. 5 Know the Primary
Exemptions to the
PRA

13. Tip. No. 6
Know How to Draft
an Effective PRA
Request

14. Tip No. 7
Be a Savvy
Negotiator

15. Tip No. 8 Recognize Faulty
PRA Denials

16. Tip No. 9 Know How to Appeal

17. Tip No. 10
Know When to Call
a Lawyer

18. Key Aspects of the OPMA

19. Key Aspects of the FOIA

20. Resources

21. Conclusion
1. Brainstorm
2. Report Back
3. Questions?