On April 26, the OGIS staff (along with our friend Jean Whyte from NARA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program) presented a daylong training session entitled “Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals” to representatives from agencies across the Government. As with previous offerings of this training over the past year, the Justice Department’s Office of Information … Continue reading Introducing: The FOIA Dispute Resolution Process
Month: April 2011
Open Government: OGIS’s Take
The term “Open Government” is thrown around a lot these days. President Obama made Open Government a keystone of his administration, beginning with the memorandum on Open Government on January 21, 2009. But what does Open Government actually mean? Is Open Government about using technology to make government work better and to disclose vast amounts … Continue reading Open Government: OGIS’s Take
Open Government and Media Experts Make MAGIC
No disappearing documents at this MAGIC show: experts in government access -- from journalists to Federal and state government officials to watch-dog groups -- gathered Tuesday at the National Archives to discuss making government more transparent. While the topics discussed at the Media Access to Government Information Conference (MAGIC) were wide-ranging -- from declassification to … Continue reading Open Government and Media Experts Make MAGIC
Announcement: Upcoming Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals
FOIA professionals – particularly FOIA Public Liaisons – deal frequently with disputes. In fact, the amended Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) directs FOIA Public Liaisons to help resolve FOIA disputes. In order to equip these key FOIA staff members with useful tools to productively manage conflict, we are offering a free dispute … Continue reading Announcement: Upcoming Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals