Sunlight Research Desk and MuckRock are joining forces to expand the tools, training and research support that help local newsrooms deliver high-impact reporting. Read more here.
Community Workshops
Register now for our monthly hands-on workshops to grow your reporting skillset with the latest techniques and tools for investigative research.
Inside NotebookLM with Jeremy Caplan
Wednesday, Apr. 29, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
Learn how to use NotebookLM to analyze sources, generate insights, and streamline your research workflow.
NotebookLM is changing how journalists and researchers work with information. This session introduces what the tool can do, why it matters, and how it can help you move from raw documents to meaningful insight more quickly and effectively.
This session is a guided walkthrough designed to share practical examples, strategies, and ideas you can apply immediately, with time at the end for questions and discussion.
(Enroll by Wednesday, Apr. 29, 11 a.m ET)
Enhancing public records work with LLMs
Friday, May 15, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
Miss this session at NICAR 2026? Join this session of Building with MuckRock!
Explore the Python libraries for the MuckRock Requests and DocumentCloud APIs and how they can be used with large language models (LLMs) to streamline records requests assist in analyzing responsive documents.
Participants will also be introduced to llm-documentcloud, a plugin for LLM command-line tool/Python library that enables feeding documents for analysis in various LLMs for analysis. The session will cover strategies for crafting clearer, more effective public records requests, as well as techniques for summarizing, organizing, and extracting data and insights from responsive documents. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own projects, ideas, and questions for exploration.
This session is good for those with some Python experience.
(Enroll by Friday, May 15, 10 a.m ET)
AI: Threats and Opportunities
Friday, May 1, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
FOIAFriday is a community session to connect about all things FOIA and public records.
Join us for our next session AI: Threats and opportunities
The session will be a look at how artificial intelligence is being applied by FOIA requesters and agencies to improve the process, and the unintended consequences of the implementation of AI.
We will be joined by the following panelists:
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Adam Marshall, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
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Carl Roller, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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Brian Thompson, Relativity, formerly Environmental Protection Agency
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Liz Wagenseller, Pennsylvania Office of Open Record
(Enroll by Friday, May 1, 10 a.m ET)
Keeping ChatGPT from eating your lunch
Using AI with Intention
Wednesday, May 20, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
In this session, Andrea Ball, an Investigative Reporter from the Austin Current, explores the flaws in AI tools, what happens when you push them further, where they break, and how to revise your approach to use them more effectively. Tools like ChatGPT are already part of many journalists’ daily workflows, but understanding how they behave is key to using them responsibly and accurately.
Why it matters: AI often speaks with confidence and authority, even when it’s wrong. This session explores how that can mislead journalists and researchers, and why recognizing these patterns is essential to maintaining accuracy, credibility, and control.
How it behaves: AI has quirks, flaws, and defaults that can shape every response. You’ll learn how to spot when it’s going off track, understand why it produces certain outputs, and avoid common pitfalls without abandoning the tool altogether.
Using it responsibly: We’ll cover some practical guidelines for working with AI in journalism: generating leads, supporting research, and reviewing suggested edits without directly inserting them into copy. Emphasis is placed on transparency, sourcing, and maintaining editorial judgment.
Making it useful: Rather than fighting AI’s limitations or abandoning it altogether, this session focuses on working with them, learning how to steer the tool, improve accuracy, and use it as a thinking partner while staying firmly in charge.
This session is not about building AI tools or coding. It’s about using them thoughtfully and sustainably in real reporting workflows, with practical strategies you can apply right away.
(Enroll by Wednesday, May 20, 11 a.m ET)
Unlocking DocumentCloud Smarter Search, Seamless Collaboration
Thursday, June 18, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
Go beyond the basics with a dynamic introduction to DocumentCloud. This session explores powerful new features like autocomplete search and saved searches, helping you find what matters faster and stay organized. You’ll also learn how to embed documents, collaborate with colleagues, and streamline your workflow, so you can spend less time searching and more time reporting.
(Enroll by Thursday, June 18, 10 a.m ET)
Research and Reporting on ICE Through Public Records
Friday, May 22, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
FOIAFriday is a community space for journalists, researchers, and transparency advocates to connect, share ideas, and dig into the practice of public records research and reporting.
This session will focus on research, reporting and data related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with an emphasis on how public records and data can illuminate its operations and footprint. We will explore different ways reporters are using public records to build stories, analyze patterns, and uncover new angles.
The discussion will highlight practical approaches to working with public records, from local requests to larger datasets, and how those materials can support accountability reporting on ICE at the community level.
(Enroll by Friday, May 22, 10 a.m ET)
Campaign Finance Data
Tools and Techniques for Better Election Reporting
Wednesday, July 1, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
With midterm elections approaching and primaries being held across the country, campaign finance data and candidate disclosures are more important, and more scattered, than ever. Information is spread across federal, state, and local databases, making it challenging to track the full picture.
Join the investigative and research experts from MuckRock’s Sunlight Research Desk for a practical session on how to work with campaign finance and ethics data in your reporting. We’ll cover best practices for handling raw data, tips for navigating complex databases, and strategies for automating large-scale searches.
Whether you’re covering an active race or building background on candidates and officeholders, this session will help you make better use of the data available. We’ll also walk through key resources and leave time for questions about access in specific states.
(Enroll by Wednesday, July 1, 11 a.m ET)
Checking in on federal environmental data
What's the same, what's changed and what's at risk
Friday, July 24, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
FOIAFriday is a community space for journalists, researchers, and transparency advocates to connect, share ideas, and dig into the practice of public records research and reporting.
This session will focus on the state of environmental documents and data at the federal level. We'll cover changes in policies and practice under the current Trump Administration, so you know what to expect as a requester or user of these datasets. We'll also spend time stepping back to discuss what federal datasets are some of the most common and useful sources of information on the environment.
(Enroll by Friday, July 24, 10 a.m ET)
Office Hours:
A space for investigators to learn and connect
Office Hours is an open, supportive space where journalists can ask questions about investigative research and get expert insights.
We host Office Hours one Wednesday a month, free of charge, and open to all. Whether you’re looking for guidance on a specific investigation or just want to listen and learn from others, you’re welcome here.
Drop in and join the conversation!
Our Impact
We're supporting newsrooms around the world.
Access all our previous trainings
Learn with research and FOIA experts across various topics.
We are always adding new videos to our YouTube channel as we work to support making politics more transparent and democracy more informed.
What journalists are saying about Sunlight Research Desk
The Sunlight Research Center was a delightful discovery. Their online tools and expert presenters provide a wealth of resources. As a freelance researcher, it is all too easy to feel isolated, and to worry about skills rusting. Sunlight Research Center keeps me abreast of ever-changing tools and techniques, providing continuing ed so I can stay on top of my game.
Research Analyst
After attending the Sunlight Research Center's workshop on navigating 990s, I came away with new tools for reporting that I can put to use right away. This is an excellent resource for freelancers.
Freelance Journalist