Filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests

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from The Memory Hole: http://www.thememoryhole.org/2009/01/filing-foia-requests/


By Russ Kick at 25 January, 2009

I’m often asked - in interviews and from this site’s readers - how to file a Freedom of Information Act request. It’s a fairly simple procedure - you don’t need a special form or a lawyer. I keep meaning to write and post a guide, but until that day arrives, here are some guides from elsewhere:

How to Use the Federal FOI Act (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)
http://www.rcfp.org/foiact/index.html

National Archives and Records Administration Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reference Guide
http://www.archives.gov/foia/foia-guide.html

The National Security Archives’ guide
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/foia/guide.html

The Justice Department, which advises the rest of the Executive Branch on FOIA, has lots of reference material here: http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/04_7.html

Specific instructions for requesting the FBI files of deceased persons are at Get Grandpa’s FBI File (http://www.getgrandpasfbifile.com/), while the companion site Get My FBI File (http://www.getmyfbifile.com/) tells you how to get your own file from the FBI and seven other agencies. They both include fill-in-the-blank request-generators.

You’ll usually find information (of widely varying quality) about filing FOIA requests on the website of each entity that’s covered by FOIA, such as the FBI, NSA, and Pentagon. It obviously helps to read the instructions for the agency you’re requesting from, but only as supplementary reading. Be sure to start with at least one of the above guides.

As I like to say, borrowing the tagline from the game Othello, FOIA takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master. The requirements for filing a request are minimal, yet phrasing your request in just the right way so that you get what you want is an art that can’t be taught (although the above guides have some good tips and guidelines to get you started). Also, if your request is rejected in whole or in part, then you’ll want to file an appeal with the agency. Again, the basics of an appeal are easy, but crafting an appeal that succesfully refutes the agency’s reasons for withholding is tricky.

But don’t worry about these things. Just start filing - you’ll learn as you go. And if you’re planning on becoming a regular requester, definitely look at the Justice Department’s FOIA Guide (http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/foia_guide07.htm), which might have too much info for a one-time requester but is absolutely indispensable if you request often and file appeals.

[Tuesday_Morning]

1. timely advice

Thanks!

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2. yep

:hi:

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3. .