Media update

The Guardian - Lennon too stoned to be a revolutionary
"John Lennon was too stoned to qualify as a proper revolutionary, according to secret FBI files released this week under the Freedom of Information Act."

ICBerkshire - Council's £13,600 food bill
"BIG cheeses on the borough council chomped their way through more than £13,600 worth of snacks and hot drinks in the past year....KPMG spokeswoman Rachel Halliday said the only way to get this information would be to write to the council under the Freedom of Information Act."

Scotsman - Bail crimes triple in 5 years
"THE number of offences committed by people awaiting trial has tripled in five years, according to figures revealed to MSPs yesterday. Bail breaches in the Strathclyde and Lothian and Borders police areas, Scotland's biggest forces, rose from 1,107 in 1999 to 3,604 in 2004, according to figures obtained by the SNP under freedom of information laws."

Westmorland Gazette - Safety camera fines go to Treasury, not roads
"Figures released by the Department for Transport, after a request submitted under the Freedom of Information Act by The Westmorland Gazette, show that speed cameras in Cumbria raised £1,618,740 during 2003/04, with a £524,619 surplus going to the Treasury."

The Sunday Times - Drivers face £20 toll to reach Heathrow
"The proposals are outlined in an internal memo drawn up by transport department officials and published under the Freedom of Information Act. If approved, the charge will affect up to 150,000 motorists who use the M4 each day to enter and leave London. The fee would be imposed on top of the capital’s £8 congestion charge."

Ofcomwatch - Ofcom's FOI response on Premier League football research
"Today, I received Ofcom's official response to my Freedom of Information Act request related to research Ofcom conducted for the European Commission with respect to the FA Premier League's contracts for audiovisual carriage of its football matches. You know---football on television. For some good reason that eludes me, in Europe the airing of football matches is a regulatory / competition law issue.Ofcom won't release the information."