About the author
Heather Brooke is a journalist and writer living in London. She is the author of ‘Your Right to Know’ (Pluto Press, University of Michigan Press), a citizens’ guide to using the Freedom of Information Act and accessing official information. Her next book ‘The Silent State’ – how secrecy, misinformation and propaganda are destroying democracy – will be published by Heinemann in Spring 2010. Heather’s campaigning for the public’s right to know jumped into the headlines when she won a High Court case against the House of Commons in May 2008 for the full disclosure of MPs’ second homes allowances. That ruling led to the preparation for publication of all MPs’ expenses data (Heather’s original request way back in 2004). It was this information which was suppressed twice and finally leaked to the Daily Telegraph in May 2009. The resulting disclosures led to a full-scale reform of the Parliamentary expense system.
Heather was runner-up for the inaugural Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism and received from the Political Studies Association the award for Setting the Political Agenda. She is an honorary professor at City University’s Department of Journalism, teaching students about FOI and how to analyse electronic data. She has worked as a consultant for several documentaries for Channel 4 television, investigating such topics as Parliament, Tesco loyalty cards, the DNA database and surveillance technology.
Heather appears on various radio and television shows speaking about transparency and she writes articles for all the major national newspapers. She has spoken at conferences hosted by the House of Commons (amazing but true!), Lexis Nexis, British and Irish Law Librarians Joint Study Institute, the Society of Editors, the International Information Commissioners organisation and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Heather previously worked at the BBC as an assistant publicist in International Television, a copywriter and, for BBC magazines, a freelance editor, writer and subeditor. Before moving to Britain, she worked in the United States as a newspaper reporter covering state government and criminal justice. For the Spokesman-Review in Washington state, she used the state FOI law to uncover politicians’ misuse of public funds for travel and personal election campaigning. In South Carolina for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal she uncovered flaws in the state’s forensic crime lab and exposed dangerous practices in funeral homes. Both investigations resulted in changes to state law.
Heather is available for training and research on topics related to using the Freedom of Information Act, Environmental Information Regulations and other access laws. She currently teaches the FOIA and investigative journalism course for the National Union of Journalists. She has trained journalists at The Guardian, Financial Times, Independent, Trinity Mirror newspapers, BBC News and BBC World Service.
