LUIZ FERNANDO TOLEDO
Luiz Fernando Toledo is a Brazilian investigative journalist who uses Brazil’s freedom of information law (Lei de Acesso à Informação, LAI) to obtain documents and examine public spending, public services and labour rights. His work includes presidential spending records, research on access to military documents and training for journalists.
NATIONAL RANKING
From May 2012 to October 2026, the Office of the Comptroller General's dataset records 4,542 requests linked to Luiz Fernando Toledo's verified user ID. No other identifiable ID filed more requests during the period.
ANNUAL SERIES
Source: CGU/Fala.BR — FOI Open Data, full series from 16 May 2012 to 23 October 2026. The analysis does not combine state or municipal data, anonymous requests or any accounts other than the verified ID.
REPORTING
Public records support reporting on how public money is spent and how people are treated. These examples show the documents obtained, the findings and, where documented, the public response.
A TV Globo investigation used FOI responses to identify at least 16 children’s shelters closed over serious irregularities in São Paulo in four years. Reporting also showed children sleeping on the floor while waiting for placements. A subsequent lawsuit by prosecutors led to a court order requiring the city to identify a shelter place within one hour.
Reporting and the court order · G1 / TV Globo, 2019Requests and appeals obtained previously secret presidential corporate-card invoices. The records were organised for use by different newsrooms, allowing journalists and the public to scrutinise expenses and compare administrations.
How the invoices were obtained · Fiquem SabendoDocuments obtained from Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies through the FOI law helped identify requests to release parliamentary funding. Combined with labour-inspection records and a municipal contract, they traced links between a quarry where forced labour was identified and a publicly funded construction project.
The investigation · BBC News Brasil, 2025Diplomatic cables obtained through the FOI law recorded concerns about Brazilian meatpacking workers. Luiz Fernando Toledo and Laís Alegretti combined these documents with three months of interviews to investigate allegations of abuse and precarious conditions.
The investigation · BBC News Brasil, 2025CAREER
Selected work related to freedom of information and the release of public data.
An audio recording obtained by O Estado de S. Paulo showed members of João Doria's administration discussing how to make responses more difficult and monitoring journalists who used the FOI law. The story led to the dismissal of the official quoted in the recording and became part of the debate over requester identity protection.
Original investigationPúblicos blog archiveARTICLE 19 study citing the case
He cofounded Fiquem Sabendo, an independent news agency specialising in freedom of information. Its records and datasets contributed to thousands of stories published by different newsrooms.
For his master's degree in Public Administration and Government at FGV EAESP, he analysed hundreds of thousands of declassified military documents. The study found that formal declassification did not guarantee practical access: operational barriers prevented access even to a small sample.
He coordinated the project that obtained and organised invoices for previously secret presidential expenses. The dataset made it possible to compare administrations, verify expenditure and support investigations across different newsrooms.
He founded an organisation that obtains, cleans and connects public data for national and cross-border investigations. The project began at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a joint initiative of Columbia and Stanford universities.
AWARDS
The investigation into the Doria administration documented how revealing a requester's identity can enable monitoring and retaliation. ARTICLE 19 cited the case in its Identidade Revelada study.
Read the studyFiquem Sabendo submitted a public list of problems and proposed improvements to CGU, covering search, filters, open files, attachments and protocol identification.
View the proposalsThe dissertation on declassified records and the Sem Sigilo project were cited in discussions and reports on Brazil's federal access-to-information policy.
Read the dissertationWork at Oxford and the National Endowment for Democracy turned practical FOI experience into guides, training and tools for filing requests and appeals.
Reagan-Fascell FellowshipEDUCATION AND RESEARCH
VIDEOS
Interviews and presentations about Brazil's FOI law, Fiquem Sabendo, Data Fixers and the use of public records in journalism.
Challenges and developments in Brazil's freedom of information law.
An interview about using Brazil's FOI law and creating the agency.
Investigating environmental crimes with public records.
Data Fixers and its model for supporting investigations.
Transparency, public data and investigative journalism.
How to investigate deforestation using official records and datasets.
PUBLICATIONS