Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
| — | courses:journalists:module-01 [2026/07/22 15:48] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | {{htmlmetatags> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====== Module 01 — The journalist' | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{ : | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | <WRAP center round info 95%> | ||
| + | **Quick Reply:** RTI for Journalists — Investigative Filing Course — Module 01: The journalists RTI playbook. Understand how RTI fits into the investigative reporting workflow. | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | <WRAP center round info 95%> | ||
| + | **Goal:** Understand how RTI fits into the investigative reporting workflow. | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | <WRAP center round tip 95%> | ||
| + | **Watch:** [[https:// | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | <WRAP center round tip 95%> | ||
| + | **Book companion: | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Why journalists love RTI ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | RTI is the cheapest, fastest legal method to extract government records. Compared to source-based reporting (slow, leak-dependent) or paid-database trawls (expensive), | ||
| + | |||
| + | Flagship investigations powered by RTI: P. Chidambaram' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== What records to ask for in any beat ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Tender + contract files** — beneficiary, | ||
| + | - **Inspection reports + audit observations** — internal critiques are gold. | ||
| + | - **Disciplinary actions** — show patterns of misconduct. | ||
| + | - **File notings + minutes of meetings** — show who decided what when. | ||
| + | - **Beneficiary lists for govt schemes** — find ghost beneficiaries (§4(1)(b)(xii) actually mandates publication). | ||
| + | - **Travel / hospitality / fuel logs** — for VIP misuse stories. | ||
| + | - **Vacancies + recruitment** — for back-door hire stories. | ||
| + | - **Complaints register** — for systemic-failure stories. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== The 90-second triage ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Before drafting an RTI, ask: | ||
| + | - **Is the record likely to exist?** Was there an invoice, an order, a meeting? | ||
| + | - **Which authority holds it?** Multiple? File parallel. | ||
| + | - **Will §8 block it?** §8(1)(d) commercial-confidence and §8(1)(j) privacy are the most-invoked. | ||
| + | - **Will §11 third-party notice add weeks?** If so, frame to avoid named individuals. | ||
| + | - **Is there a 30-day window for the story?** If yes, file day 1 + Speed Post + Twitter-trail for FOIA-style pressure. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Multi-PIO coordination ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The killer move: file **the same RTI to 5+ PIOs at once** — central + state + local. Different PIOs respond differently. Compare. Find the contradiction. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Example: an RTI on COVID vaccine wastage went to (i) Health Ministry PIO, (ii) State Health Dept PIO, (iii) DM offices in 5 districts. The variance between Centre' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== When NOT to use RTI ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | - **Time-sensitive story** with <30 day window — RTI takes 30+ days minimum. Use sources / leaks. | ||
| + | - **Information already published under §4(1)(b)** — go to the public website first; only if missing, RTI. | ||
| + | - **Active investigation** — §8(1)(h) will block it; wait or use closure-report stage. | ||
| + | - **Personal-information tip-off** — §8(1)(j) is hard to overcome without strong public-interest test. | ||
| + | - **National security** — §8(1)(a) is a near-absolute bar. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== ✅ Quiz ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quiz available from your [[: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Next ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [[: | ||
| + | * Next: [[: | ||
| + | |||
| + | //Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.// | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{tag> | ||