For more than a decade, the Chicago Headline Club’s FOIA Fest conference has been one of Chicago’s most important gatherings for journalists, advocates and community members seeking to strengthen their public‑records reporting skills. FOIA Fest 2026 returns on Saturday, March 21 to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism downtown campus, offering a full day of practical training led by award‑winning reporters, attorneys and transparency experts.
Attendees will delve into topics such as legal and ethics considerations, a FOIA 101 fundamentals session, and a workshop on deciphering Department of Homeland Security arrest and detention data. Additional sessions will explore daily FOIA‑filing strategies, editing data‑driven investigations, using FOIA to report on public schools, and the growing impact of agency gag rules on press access.
FOIA Fest 2026 once again features the FOIA Fest Boot Camp, a months‑long mentorship program supported by the Foundation. The Boot Camp matches early‑career reporters with veteran investigative journalists who guide participants through a FOIA‑driven reporting project, helping to cultivate the next generation of local watchdogs.
A Driehaus Foundation investigative journalism grant supports FOIA Fest programming, including the annual Watchdog Award. The Foundation has supported the Chicago Headline Club since 2005 and FOIA Fest since 2021.
A full schedule, ticket details, and FOIA resources are available at HeadlineClub.org.
