Ally Audio: Digging Into What Information is Public (and What’s Exempt)

Check out the latest edition of Sierra Nevada Ally’s podcast

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

On this week’s show, Hannah Truby jumps into the co-chair. Noah and Hannah talk about efforts to save Mono Lake, and recent unionization successes in southern Nevada. Then, we talk about the use and history of the Freedom of Information Act, before welcoming the Ally’s summer intern, Daisy Gomez onto the show.


Sources for this episode:

https://archive.is/fY5Tr 

https://www.snwa.com/water-resources/where-water-comes-from/index.html

https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/03/california-colorado-river-agreement/

https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-strip-culinary-union-casinos-hotels-804fafe363e0bc593084ab17531b2e25 

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/02/20/for-american-unions-membership-trails-far-behind-public-support/

https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/2025-08-01/trpa-approves-25-year-transportation-plan-for-lake-tahoe 

https://www.trpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/Connections-2050-Regional-Transportation-Plan_Full-Plan-with-Cover.pdf

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-01/epstein-files-trump-s-name-was-redacted-by-the-fbi 

https://www.justice.gov/d9/what_are_the_9_foia_exemptions.pdf 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_(United_States)   

https://www.samhsa.gov/about/laws-regulations-policies/freedom-information-act  

https://www.justice.gov/archives/open/foia  

https://www.dea.gov/foia/about-foia  

https://www.foia.gov/about.html      

https://www.gsa.gov/reference/freedom-of-information-act-foia

https://department.va.gov/foia/about-the-act/ 

https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9579&context=penn_law_review

https://www.rcfp.org/open-government-sections/c-what-records-are-and-are-not-subject-to-the-act/

https://www.csldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CSLDF-Report-2021.pdf

https://granicus.com/blog/foia-101-demystifying-public-records-laws-in-each-state/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_(United_States)

https://www.ncsl.org/center-for-legislative-strengthening/public-records-law-and-state-legislatures

https://www.justice.gov/d9/what_are_the_9_foia_exemptions.pdf  

https://www.fincen.gov/foia-exemptions-and-exclusions

https://www.secretservice.gov/foia/exemptions  

https://www.foia.gov/faq.html  

https://www.foia.gov

https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/foia-guide-2004-edition-exemption-6 

https://www.justice.gov/oip/page/file/1207336/dl?inline 

https://climatecasechart.com/case/texas-public-policy-foundation-v-us-department-of-state/ 

https://www.nhmunicipal.org/town-city-magazine/legal-qa-understanding-law-enforcement-foia-exemptions 

https://www.foia.gov/iso/opa/foia/oip-101012.html 

https://www.justice.gov/d9/what_are_the_9_foia_exemptions.pdf 

https://www.secretservice.gov/foia/exemptions 

https://www.foia.gov/faq.html 

https://www.archives.gov/files/ogis/documents/2025.03.06-statutory-reform-subcomm.-progress-report.pdf 

https://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/2025updt.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/blog/foia-update-senate-committee-approves-broad-foia-reform-bill

https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/blog/foia-update-foia-reform-bill-moves-forward


This show is made possible by Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage. And from our readers and listeners at sierranevadaally.org.

Music for the show comes from local band, People with Bodies.

Republish our stories for free, under a Creative Commons license.

Authors

Noah Glick is an award-winning journalist, audio and podcast producer, and writer, whose work has been heard nationally on NPR, Marketplace, Here & Now, and more. He is a multiple regional Edward R. Murrow Award winner for his reporting on climate, energy, and housing.

Noah brings his years of experience to the Sierra Nevada Ally, where he will serve as Executive Editor, overseeing the organization’s content strategy, audio production, and editorial oversight. His goal is to create content that helps readers become more informed about the world around them and to inspire everyone to think more critically and see the world with a little more kindness and understanding.

Hannah Truby is a reporter, photographer, and managing editor at The Sierra Nevada Ally, specializing in long-form features and explanatory journalism. Her work explores the intersections of civic life, culture, and the environment, with a focus on human-centered, nuanced storytelling. She holds a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a B.A. in English and German linguistics, bringing a deep reverence for language, culture, and place to every story she tells.

Daisy Gomez is a reporting intern at the Sierra Nevada Ally and a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in news, broadcast, and documentary. Originally from the Bay Area, she’s a proud Latina reporter passionate about bilingual, multimedia storytelling. She focuses on covering the Latino community in Northern Nevada, along with entertainment, music, and sports. Through her work, she hopes to highlight voices and stories that reflect culture, diversity, and energy.