Editorial: Strengthen FOIL in New York

If you've ever filed a Freedom of Information request with a public agency in New York, you probably know that it can be way too hard to get the goods.

Government agencies have all sorts of opportunities to delay the release of public records, and many departments — particularly in Albany — are quite good at leveraging the system to delay, delay, delay. Advocates, lawyers, journalists and members of the public at large who have had the experience of being put off by faceless bureaucrats trying to please their bosses could become discouraged from even filing FOIL requests. Continue…

—————