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Join us for Happy Hour every Monday -Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm! Enjoy 5 food items for just $5 each with $3 Domestic Bottles, $3 Wells, $4 Special […]

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When Wired published the contents of 911 calls coming from inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, revealing shocking reports of overcrowding and sexual assault, the story wasn’t just harrowing. It was also freely available to anyone who wanted to read it.

And when 404 Media reported that law enforcement agents were tapping into a nationwide network of license plate readers — including one Texas officer who used the system to track a woman who’d self-administered an abortion — it made sure the news story and every record it was based on were unpaywalled.

Wired and 404 Media are two of the news organizations leading the way in removing paywalls for public records-based reporting. Recently, Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) sat down with Katie Drummond, global editorial director of Wired and an FPF board member; Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media; and FPF’s Lauren Harper to discuss why reporting based on public records should be free.

Drummond, Cox, and Harper described how unpaywalling reporting based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act or other public records laws not only serves democracy but also strengthens journalism itself.

‘A very valuable public service’

For both Wired and 404 Media, the reasons for removing paywalls for public records-based reporting are self-evident.

“It’s a very valuable public service to make people aware of what tools and tactics are being deployed to monitor and surveil people,” said Drummond, speaking about some of Wired’s public records reporting. “They should know what’s sort of happening that they may not be aware of, and to be able, again, to make that available to our audience without a paywall is important.”

Similarly, Cox described how reporting based on public records can lead to real-world reforms, especially when it’s widely available to the public and lawmakers. For instance, 404 Media’s reporting on Flock Safety, the license plate reader company, didn’t just expose surveillance abuses. It also caused Flock to make “radical changes to its product” and triggered congressional investigations, Cox said.

Additionally, by making the reporting and records about Flock freely available, 404 Media helped other journalists. The free access “created this sort of wave of local media coverage where now local journalists are doing basically the same public records request, but for their own communities or towns or cities,” Cox said.

Free access to public records-based reporting at 404 Media “created this sort of wave of local media coverage where now local journalists are doing basically the same public records request, but for their own communities or towns or cities.”

Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media

Flagging new sources for future reporting

Free access to public records-based reporting also builds trust and relationships with readers and sources.

“There’s just something about being able to have a government document,” Cox said. “It’s real. You got it from the government through a FOIA request, or a lawsuit, or whatever, and you can then show that to readers. We don’t want to get in the way of that.”

Making this reporting and the records it’s based on free can also draw the attention of important sources for future reporting. Cox described how his reporting based on FOIA requests sends a signal to readers and sources that he’s interested in particular companies or topics.

Sources reading the free articles realize, Cox said, “‘Oh, this journalist is interested in Flock, in Palantir, or whatever it might be.’ And then, lo and behold, because we make it so easy for potential sources to reach us securely, on Signal or through other methods, we’ll probably end up getting a leak from one of those companies as well.”

Harper, who often writes about her FOIA requests for FPF, shared how publishing FOIA work openly can attract new sources and deepen reporting. “The more obvious I make my FOIA work, the more feedback I get from folks” about what to file future FOIA requests for, she explained.

That kind of transparency fuels better journalism, she said. “It is a virtuous cycle. The more we talk about and advertise FOIA, the better our FOIA requests become as a result.”

The economics of openness

Yet, the public records reporting that Wired and 404 Media have made freely available isn’t free to produce. Both news outlets rely on subscriptions and paywalls to fund their journalism.

As Drummond explained, “The FOIA process can often be labor-intensive, resource-intensive, time-consuming — all of the things that would increase your incentive to put a paywall up on that work,” she said.

But both Wired and 404 Media have found that removing paywalls for public records-based reporting is actually the better decision, financially.

“We made a calculated bet that our audience would show up for us when we did this,” Drummond said. “That bet paid off above and beyond what I could have possibly imagined.”

“That bet paid off above and beyond what I could have possibly imagined.”

Katie Drummond, global editorial director of Wired

After Wired announced it would unpaywall its public records-based stories, Drummond said it saw a “huge increase in subscribers” and received “hundreds of emails from people thanking us for doing it.” Far from hurting the bottom line, she said, “It has been additive to the business rather than taking anything away, from a financial point of view.”

For Cox, the same principle holds true: Transparency drives reader trust, and trust drives support. Every FOIA-based story on 404 Media’s website includes a short note explaining that it’s free but inviting readers to support the outlet’s work through a subscription or one-time donation.

“Look, we’re trying to run a business,” Cox said. “But we’re in it for the journalism. That’s literally why we wake up every single morning, to go write articles and put them on the internet.” He added, “And it does pay off, I think, journalistically, ethically, and businesswise as well.”

‘It’s very hard for me to think of a compelling reason not to do this’

If public records laws like FOIA are tools for public accountability, then journalism that relies on them should be public too. Simply put, “Public records belong to the public,” as Harper said. In a moment when the public’s access to government information is being increasingly curtailed, Wired and 404 Media are proving that openness isn’t just ethical — it’s effective.

Other news outlets should follow their lead. “It is of tremendous value for your audience,” said Drummond. “It’s very hard for me to think of a compelling reason not to do this.”

Cox echoed the sentiment: “There’s a public interest in getting those documents in front of more people. And there is, maybe counterintuitively, but there definitely is, a business benefit to it as well.”

Authorities said Nicco Lawalt Raymond Cotton, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, sodomy and abuse or neglect of a child in the death of Bre'yeon Wells.

St Louisans Alexis Thomas and Rashida Simms went to Montego Bay for a family event, but it would be cut short when the Category 5 storm was on track to hit Jamaica.

Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go straight to the RSS feed. In this week’s round-up of the latest news in online […]

The zoo says its Southern white rhinos, as well as giraffes, are becoming acclimated to their new home.

The Mamba roller coaster at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City has been temporarily shut down due to a safety violation.

As the federal shutdown stretches on, families and individuals across the St. Louis region — including many in the construction and public-service sectors — are feeling the squeeze from missed paychecks. If you need help putting food on the table, the St. Louis Area Foodbank offers a simple, confidential way to find assistance. Its Pantry […]

The post Where to Find Food Support During the Federal Shutdown appeared first on Construction Forum.

A man run over by a car, dragged, and left for dead spoke to FOX 2 News about his survival. His account is backed by video that police were monitoring in real time as they tracked down the suspect driver.

The legal marijuana industry is sharing concerns with local hemp farmers over unregulated products that advertise as hemp but are in reality unlicensed marijuana.

The initiative, announced by County Executive Sam Page, aims to assist the more than 47,000 families in St. Louis County who rely on SNAP benefits each month.

The City’s Community Development Administration (CDA) has announced $1.14 million in new Neighborhood Plan Implementation Awards, funding transformative, community-led projects across seven neighborhoods — including Skinker DeBaliviere, West End, Downtown, Downtown West, Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Jeff-Vander-Lou, and St. Louis Place. Funded through the City’s Economic Development Sales Tax (Ordinance 70435), the program allocates 10% of […]

The post CDA Announces $1.14 Million in Neighborhood Plan Implementation Awards appeared first on Construction Forum.

St. Charles County Police confirm as many as 15-20 guns were stolen from Crown Guns on Tuesday. Now, three suspects are facing charges in multiple counties.

From Multi-Housing News: The development and design team of Lawrence Group and New + Found are beginning work on a full rebuild of Mansion House apartments, a nearly 60-year-old multifamily community located in downtown St. Louis, Mo. near the Gateway Arch. The sister firms, both headed by CEO Steve Smith, are partnering with ownership entity […]

The post St. Louis Mid-Century Multifamily Tower Gets a Makeover appeared first on Construction Forum.

GRANITE CITY - Livia Goebel is a junior middle hitter for the Edwardsville High girls volleyball team, and she's proving to be an important part of the Tigers' success going into the IHSA Class 4A regional final Oct. 30, 2025, at Granite City Memorial Gym. In the Tigers' 25-14, 25-3 win over the host Warriors in the semifinal on Oct. 28, 2025, Goebel had five kills, seven points, two aces, a block, and two digs in the match. She has played a vital role in helping Edwardsville to a 24-11 mark going into the final against Quincy. In a post-match interview held after the win over Granite, Goebel felt good about the happenings of the evening and felt confident going into the final. "I feel pretty great," Goebel said. "I feel like my team came together well, and we were able to come out with a good win tonight." Livia is a Spencer Homes Female Athlete of the Month for the Edwardsville girls' volleyball team. It's been another good season thus far for the Tigers, with only two seniors

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From ENR: Nearly two-thirds of construction workers have experienced anxiety or depression in the last 12 months—64% compared to 54% in 2024—according to a mental health survey conducted by St. Louis-based contractor Clayco. Reporting or talking about those struggles is still a challenge for workers who fear they will be treated differently on the job, […]

The post Clayco Survey Provides Insights Into Construction’s Mental Health Challenges appeared first on Construction Forum.

ALTON – Residents of Alton and Granite City face felony charges in two separate cases of battery in Madison County. Andre D. Prayer, 45, of Alton, was charged on Oct. 20, 2025 with a Class 3 felony count of unlawful possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine and a Class A misdemeanor count of domestic battery. On Oct. 17, 2025, Prayer allegedly placed his arm around the victim’s neck and held her without legal justification. Charging documents state the victim in this case was a family or household member of Prayer’s. The Bethalto Police Department presented the case against Prayer, who was granted pretrial release from custody. 59-year-old Kevin C. Lee Sr. of Granite City was charged in an unrelated case from Oct. 24, 2025 with two counts of aggravated battery, both Class 3 felonies. Lee reportedly struck an individual about the head and hand without legal justification, causing the victim to sustain a laceration and a fractured finger on Oct. 14

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