The easiest public records request to do is to find out what other folks request
All public agencies must keep a “log” of public records requests. That’s a listing of each request, who r
Some public agencies, like the University of Oregon, post their public records logs online.
equested it, and the outcome of that request — whether it was granted or denied or is pending.
You can ask for that log.
Most public records requests are not made by journalists. They are made by lawyers on behalf of people suing or thinking about suing someone. So the results of these requests might not make it into any newspapers or websites.
What you can find:
Story ideas. If you find multiple requests for the same information, that might indicate a hot issue you should look into. Or you might learn that someone is asking about something you never knew the school was involved in.
A public agency needs to release information to you immediately if it has already compiled and released it to someone else under the public records act.
Before filing a request for your school’s public records log, try Googling it. Some public agencies post their logs online.
