The Impact of Opening up Lobbying Data - Sunlight Foundation Blog

"We found a varied landscape when we explored what cities include in releases of lobbying data and how they release it, but one thing is clear: Disclosing and contextualizing lobbying data can have a high impact on a community. Journalists and other watchdogs who dig into municipal lobbying information have unearthed a wide range of stories illustrating the relationships between money, access to power, and the decisions made by those who have power. Raw lobbying information alone doesn't necessarily make for an insightful story about the world of political influence, but it's a key data set that is essential to revealing these kinds of narratives. This is especially clear in Philadelphia, where information from the city's lobbying registrations and quarterly reports have been pulled into a searchable, sortable database called Lobbying.ph. Casey Thomas, a Philadelphia developer, was part of the team that created Lobbying.ph at a local hackathon in February 2012, and he expanded on it before joining AxisPhilly, a non-profit news organization, later that year. AxisPhilly now houses and maintains the project. Using the search and analysis enabled by Lobbying.ph, AxisPhilly has been able to write stories about who is trying to influence everything from casino licenses to paid sick leave bills because Philadelphia’s data includes information about who companies are lobbying and what position they are pushing on a specific piece of legislation. Local lobbying disclosures also paved the way for AxisPhilly to craft a list of the top 10 efforts to influence local government and to track lobbyist gifts to city council. AxisPhilly isn’t the only watchdog benefiting from open lobbying data, however. Other Philadelphia media have used information from Lobbying.ph in reporting, including PlanPhilly, Philadelphia Weekly, and Technical.ly Philly. Without access to data about lobbying disclosure, these kinds of meaningful analyses of political influence might not be told -- in the media, or elsewhere -- and citizens might not be able to learn who is trying to influence their elected officials' decisions. Open data about influence empowers people to be watchdogs and track the views that are being presented to those with power. It gives them a chance to see what views are not being represented, too."