FOIA Fest cited for role in journalism award

September 25, 2019

Loyola’s School of Communication is credited with helping the Chicago Headline Club capture three national awards for distinguished work in educating and training journalists.

The Chicago Headline Club, an association of professional and student journalists, was honored with three awards by the Society of Professional Journalists:

Outstanding National Chapter
Professional Development
FOI/First Amendment

The Headline Club credited Loyola’s School of Communication for its role in the awards because it hosts the annual FOIAFest. The daylong conference features panels and training sessions on everything from finding records hidden in plain sight to analyzing data for hard-hitting investigations.

The School of Communication has hosted FOIAFest for the past seven years. The event attracts more than 125 student and professional journalists. Much of the logistical planning is done by Michael Limόn and Richelle Rogers, both instructors in Loyola’s Multimedia Journalism major. SOC Events Coordinator Genevieve Buthod also plays a key role.

“Loyola University has been an invaluable partner, providing the venue to host FOIAFest,” said Alejandro Cancino, immediate past president of the Headline Club. “We are especially thankful to Michael Limon and Richelle Rogers for their time and efforts to ensure the success of the event.”

Limόn said a great deal of time and effort is put into planning and hosting FOIAFest at Loyola. But it’s a labor of love.

“The School of Communication is proud of its role as home to FOIAFest,” said Limόn, who also serves as adviser for Loyola’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. “To help provide a setting to celebrate the importance of the First Amendment is an honor.”