As regular readers of this blog already know, OGIS was created when the 2007 OPEN Government Act amended the FOIA. However, the Act didn’t stop there -- it also formalized the role of the FOIA Public Liaison (FPL). Specifically it says: FOIA Public Liaisons shall report to the agency Chief FOIA Officer and shall serve … Continue reading What’s a FOIA Public Liaison?
Category: Open Government
Talking Back to FOIA
Though an ombudsman has many roles, one of the most important is to serve as a listening ear for a larger organization. As the FOIA ombuds office, OGIS listens to complaints regarding the federal FOIA process; however, as a new entity, we are still figuring out how to best gather feedback from the requester community … Continue reading Talking Back to FOIA
Freedom of Information Contributes to a Free Press
As difficult as it sometimes can be to navigate our Freedom of Information Act in the U.S., the Act contributes to press freedom– a freedom that only one in six of the world’s inhabitants has, according to statistics released this week during World Press Freedom Day. Free expression advocates from around the world gathered in … Continue reading Freedom of Information Contributes to a Free Press
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
Announcing: OGIS’s First Report
We are very excited to announce the publication of OGIS’s first report, The First Year: Building Bridges Between FOIA Requesters and Federal Agencies. This publication tells the story of how Director (and first OGIS staff member) Miriam Nisbet stood up a small office with a very big mandate: to improve the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading Announcing: OGIS’s First Report
You must be logged in to post a comment.