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?
Thinking about the future of FOIA: Proactive Disclosure
News that the Faster FOIA Act passed the Senate last week has all of us at OGIS thinking about changes we’d like to see made to make FOIA work better. Though the future of Faster FOIA is uncertain -- it is headed to the House for consideration -- it has contributed to the already considerable … Continue reading Thinking about the future of FOIA: Proactive Disclosure
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
Shedding Light on a Tricky Issue: FOIA Fees and Waivers
Of the many issues that confuse FOIA requesters and agency staff, we have observed that fees may be the most confusing. Determining what fees a requester must pay requires a high level of disclosure from the requester (who are you and what do you plan to do with these records?) and a judgment call from … Continue reading Shedding Light on a Tricky Issue: FOIA Fees and Waivers
OGIStance: What’s up with referrals these days?
Among OGIS’s recent cases are several from customers advised that their FOIA requests have been referred to other agencies for processing. In accordance with agency FOIA regulations, that’s usually no problem. But in the OGIS cases, the agencies making the referrals did not identify the name of the agencies to which they referred the requests, … Continue reading OGIStance: What’s up with referrals these days?
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
Introducing: The FOIA Dispute Resolution Process
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
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