3. “That’s a personnel matter and not subject to disclosure.”

Very, very often government agencies like to protect their own to avoid embarrassment.

Often when we request information about a particular public servant who may be abusing his/her position, I’m told “Oh you can’t have that, because that’s a personnel matter.”

I’ve initially been denied expense reports and disciplinary documents based on “personnel matters.”

Scrutinizing an agency’s written policy on “personnel matters” can sometimes prompt disclosures.     Call out the bluff.

 2. “For security reasons, we can’t tell you.”

There are many circumstances in which sensitive information shouldn’t be disclosed to protect the integrity of a criminal investigation (such as a suspect’s mug shot that needs to be used in a photo-line up for witnesses).

I get that.

But some public safety agencies LOVE to use this excuse to avoid doing work.

Or they really think even the most mundane details can cause the earth to fall out of orbit.

I often hear this quote when I request video footage recorded in a public area that may contain wrongdoing.

1.  “There’s no story here.” 

Often when I’m calling on something to find out during the early stages if there really is a story behind a tip, I’ll be told by a government agency spokesperson “There’s no story here.”

Oh really?   Thanks for letting me know.  I really believe you, government spokesperson.  I guess I’ll hang up now and move on.

In MANY cases when I hear “There’s no story here,” there’s a good chance there is something worth looking at.   I’ll bypass the spokesperson and work other sources and documents to make sure.

And sometimes the quote “There’s no story here,” could be a great quote when something is eventually uncovered.