A FOIA beginner’s guide to requesting a FBI file – Looking to get records out of the Bureau? Here’s where to start

One of questions we’re most frequently asked at MuckRock is how to request the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s files on an individual. To help clear up the process, we’ve compiled this simple flowchart to make sure you have everything you need before you file that FOIA. While this guide was written specifically for people making their […]

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Knight FOI Fund contributes to U.S. Circuit Court granting “Educational Requester” status to students

 

NEWS RELEASE

May 24, 2016

Knight FOI Fund contributes to U.S. Circuit Court ruling granting “Educational Requester” status to students 

Knight Foundation NFOIC FOI Fund helps finance plaintiff’s appeal in far-reaching FOIA case

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FOIA legislation to be revisited by South Carolina lawmakers

South Carolina legislators this session will again attempt to pass legislation aimed at reforming the state’s Freedom of Information Act, which regulates public meetings and the release of public records. S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, and S.C. Rep. Weston Newton, R-Beaufort, pre-filed a FOIA bill in the House, and Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, has filed a similar Senate bill.

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National Archives’ Open Government Plan 4.0 Open for Comment

As the Archivist of the United States announced earlier this week, you can now review and comment on the National Archives and Records Administration’s Open Government Plan 4.0 on Github. The plan covers steps the National Archives intends to take over the next two years to strengthen open government within our agency and across the Federal government.

Continue…

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Small changes, homestretch approach in Virginia’s FOIA review

Virginia's Freedom of Information Advisory Council will formally recommend changes to the state's open records and meetings laws as soon as next month.

Among the changes waiting for an up-or-down vote from the council are tweaks that could potentially narrow one of the law's broadest exemptions, which currently lets state and local officials keep a wide and ill-defined swath of documents from public view.

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Poynter: Running into a brick wall with your FOIA request? Take it public

When I’m having trouble getting public records from a government agency, I’ll often turn to my colleagues for advice or just to vent. But sometimes, you need to take your struggle public.

That’s what New York City reporter Joaquin Sapien did last month. After spending nearly a year trying to get records from the city and exchanging more than 50 emails with a freedom of information officer, he finally had enough.

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Flint water crisis could help push governor FOIA, legislative transparency bills

Gov. Rick Snyder has released thousands of pages of executive office emails voluntarily in the wake of the Flint water crisis, but legislation pending in the House would make disclosures routine by subjecting the governor to the Freedom of Information Act.

Bipartisan bills were introduced last month by Rep. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield and Rep. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, would subject the governor to FOIA, an act which details response timelines and which records are subject to disclosure upon citizen request.

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