October 28, 2023

KNWA: Blogger Matt Campbell suing Gov. Sanders over documents regarding lectern

KNWA: Blogger Matt Campbell suing Gov. Sanders over documents regarding lectern. “Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is being sued for documentation about the purchase of a $19,000 lectern by blogger Matt Campbell. Campbell’s lawsuit against the governor’s office was filed on October 24. The lawsuit states the governor’s office did not turn over documents related to the purchase of a $19,000 lectern, claiming that is a violation of the state’s FOIA law.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
October 28, 2023

MuckRock: Here’s why MuckRock and POGO had to archive FOIAonline

MuckRock: Here’s why MuckRock and POGO had to archive FOIAonline. “… while the decommissioning of FOIAonline has been in the works for several years, it still remains unclear when the public can expect access to these records to be restored by government agencies, if ever. In the interim, POGO and MuckRock have partnered to host a publicly available archive of nearly 34,000 documents captured before FOIAonline was shuttered.”

New Resources 0
October 25, 2023

US Department of Justice: New Search Tool Improves FOIA.gov User Experience

US Department of Justice: New Search Tool Improves FOIA.gov User Experience. “We developed the search tool after in-depth research and information gathering from agencies and public users to help identify the best solution. Through these efforts, we identified six topical areas that comprise the largest portion of FOIA requests. These ‘common topics’ launch users into logic-based pathways that ask a series of questions to help get the user to the right place. Alternatively, users can enter their own search terms.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
October 12, 2023

Arkansas Times: State employee’s email says governor’s assistant was told to modify invoice

Arkansas Times: State employee’s email says governor’s assistant was told to modify invoice. “Someone in Gov. Sarah Sanders‘ office instructed state employees to write ‘to be reimbursed’ on a months-old invoice for a $19,000 lectern and specifically told them not to date the notation. That’s according to a newly unearthed email published on social media today by Jay Orsi, a citizen journalist who obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
October 2, 2023

Arkansas Times: Whistleblower says governor’s office illegally altered, withheld records related to podium purchase

Arkansas Times: Whistleblower says governor’s office illegally altered, withheld records related to podium purchase. “An anonymous former state employee came forward Friday claiming to have evidence that the Arkansas governor’s office doctored documents and unlawfully withheld financial records that should have been made public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
September 29, 2023

ProPublica: ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Have Sued the FDA for Records Related to Recalled Breathing Machines

ProPublica: ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Have Sued the FDA for Records Related to Recalled Breathing Machines . “ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in federal court in New York, accusing the agency of holding back records related to the sweeping recall of breathing machines that were sold around the world.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
September 19, 2023

MuckRock: Browse thousands of additional FOIA requests with the new FOIA Log Explorer

MuckRock: Browse thousands of additional FOIA requests with the new FOIA Log Explorer. “MuckRock’s users have already shared almost 90,000 public requests you can search, browse, follow or refile, but that is still just a small segment of the broader world of all Freedom of Information requests. The FOIA Log Explorer expands that view by importing data on thousands of requests from dozens of agencies at the state, local and federal level, making it easier to search through and see what kinds of materials agencies are and are not releasing, as well as helping you craft more targeted requests of your own.”

New Resources 0
September 17, 2023

Associated Press: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs law restricting release of her travel, security records

Associated Press: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs law restricting release of her travel, security records. “Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law Thursday restricting release of her travel and security records after the Legislature wrapped up a special session marked by a fight to more broadly scale back the state Freedom of Information Act.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 26, 2023

FedScoop: National Archives discloses planned AI uses for record management

FedScoop: National Archives discloses planned AI uses for record management. “In its 2023 AI use case inventory, the agency charged with managing U.S. government documents disclosed it wants to use an AI-based system to autofill metadata for its archival documents. Similar to some other agencies, the National Archives also disclosed its interest in using the technology to help respond to FOIA requests. While NARA shared these planned applications, it did not include any current, operational use cases of AI.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 4, 2023

Colorado Politics: Bureau of Land Management’s do-over search for environmental records satisfied law, court says

Colorado Politics: Bureau of Land Management’s do-over search for environmental records satisfied law, court says. “Two years after she ordered the Bureau of Land Management to redo its search for documents in response to an environmental group’s open records request, a federal judge now agrees the agency largely complied with the order. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix originally found BLM did not fulfill its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act and had conducted a subpar search.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 30, 2023

Fast Company: ‘You cannot dunk on a public defender.’ Meet the extremely online lawyer-Twitter celebrity

Fast Company: ‘You cannot dunk on a public defender.’ Meet the extremely online lawyer-Twitter celebrity. “Lawyers themselves are not known for having great senses of humor, which is something Beth Bourdon considers a massive misconception. Most of the attorneys in her Central Florida office, for instance, trade dark jokes amongst themselves whenever possible. Anything to lighten up the bleak atmosphere that comes with striving to mitigate the death penalty for one’s clients.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
June 11, 2023

Globe and Mail: How The Globe created the first national database of FOI requests

Globe and Mail: How The Globe created the first national database of FOI requests. “Since the fall of 2021, we have filed more than 400 freedom-of-information (FOI) requests and spoken with more than 200 experts, all with the purpose of compiling the best resource Canada has ever seen. The result is a database of more than 300,000 FOI request summaries spanning more than 600 government and public institutions across the country.”

New Resources 0
March 6, 2023

Federal News Network: FOIA backlogs on the rise after record number of requests

Federal News Network: FOIA backlogs on the rise after record number of requests . “Freedom of Information Act backlogs soared at some key agencies after the public filed a record number of FOIA requests in fiscal 2022. Agencies received 928,353 requests last year and processed 878,420 requests, both record highs, according to the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy. Agencies were required to upload their fiscal 2022 annual FOIA reports by March 1.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
February 22, 2023

Honolulu Civil Beat: The Military’s Public Information Black Hole

Honolulu Civil Beat: The Military’s Public Information Black Hole. “Since I started reporting in Hawaii in 2019, I’ve filed numerous FOIA requests with the military, primarily the Navy. Time and again, I have filed one with the hopes of shining a light on an issue of public importance only to have it fizzle into nothingness. The Freedom of Information Act, which is supposed to provide the transparency needed for a healthy democracy, is too often a pathway to a dead end that leaves us in the dark on critical issues. “

Security & Legal Issues 0
December 16, 2022

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond sheriff puts $1,385 price tag on Times-Dispatch request for routine payroll records

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond sheriff puts $1,385 price tag on Times-Dispatch request for routine payroll records. “In response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch request for payroll records about who the jail employs and how much they earn, Sheriff Antionette Irving’s records officer quoted a price of $1,385. Payroll records are explicitly not protected from FOIA under the Virginia Administrative Code. When they receive requests from the public, agency records officers estimate prices based on how many hours employees will need to produce the records. Sheriffs sign off on those labor estimates.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

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