FOIA Advisor

FOIA News: POGO and National Security Archive Hosting FOIA Survey

FOIA News (2015-2023)Kevin SchmidtComment

We Need You: Help Improve FOIA

By Sean Moulton, POGO, Feb. 14, 2017

Have you asked for records using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? Have you worked for an agency fulfilling such requests? Either way, we could use your input. The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) and the National Security Archive are hosting a survey to collect input on how FOIA searches are done. Please take 10 minutes to fill out the survey if you have experience with FOIA, and forward it to anyone else you think could help.

The FOIA process can be complicated and contentious as requestors and agencies wrestle with delays, withholdings, redactions, and more. One of the first and most critical steps in processing every request is the search conducted to identify responsive records. Finding a document on your computer or on the internet might seem remarkably simple and straightforward, but searching for records across a federal agency can quickly become problematic.

Read more here.