Worum geht's?

Helen Darbishire, Founder and Director of Europe’s leading access to information organisation, Access Info Europe, will explain how journalists and civil society activists should approach using access to information laws to obtain information.

The session will be both strategic and practical, making use of Access Info’s highly successful “Legal Leaks Toolkit” as well as using real-life examples from journalists around Europe and from work that Helen Darbishire has done helping journalists obtain information needed for their stories.

There will be a particular focus on how to use the EU’s access to documents rules, as well as how to deal with exceptions and how to make appeals when EU bodies refuse initial access (appeals often result in a reversal of the initial refusal).

Making requests in other countries, and using international networks of right to information organisations, and collaborating with journalists on cross border investigations using access to information will also be part of the session.

Practical, hands-on advice, about specific stories and how to draft requests will be provided during and after the talk.

Wer unterrichtet?

Helen Darbishire, Founder & Executive Director, Access Info Europe

Helen Darbishire is a human rights activist specialising in the publics right of access to information (freedom of information). She is committed to the development of open and democratic societies with participatory and accountable governments.

Helen is founder and Executive Director of the Madrid-based organisation Access Info Europe, established in 2006 to promote the right of access to information in Europe and globally.

Prior to setting up Access Info Europe, Helen worked as a campaigner at Article 19 (1989 to 1998) based in London and Paris. She then worked with the Open Society Foundations (1999-2005) directing programmes on freedom of expression and freedom of information, based in Budapest and New York.

Helen has provided expertise to a wide range of non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations, including UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and the World Bank.
She is a founder of the global Freedom of Information Advocates Network and served two terms as its chair (2004-2010). In 2016 Helen was jointed the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership as a civil society representative.

Helen holds a degree in History and Philosophy of Science from Durham University, UK. Resident in Madrid, she speaks English, French and Spanish.