Journalism student uses FoI to break story

A journalism student at Sheffield University has shown veteran hacks how to get a scoop by using the freedom of information (FoI) act. While researching an investigative journalism assignment Hannah Postles used the FoI to discover what items had been confiscated from prisoners at Wakefield top security prison. The surprising results included pornographic DVDs, mobile phones and even collections of newspaper cuttings about prison staff. She happened to be doing work experience at the Yorkshire Evening Post and the news editor immediately decided to splash on her story. Hannah, 21, said of her experience: "It was really exciting". (Via shef.ac.uk)