FOIA News: MuckRock Interview with DOJ OIP's Bobak ‘Bobby’ Talebian

Q&A with Justice Department Office of Information Policy’s Bobak ‘Bobby’ Talebian on the future of FOIA

By Albert Serna Jr., MuckRock, Oct. 4, 2023

With the closing of FOIAonline last week, FOIA.gov is now the central hub for FOIA requests and information about federal agencies. As the site sees more traffic and use, users might have questions about how to navigate through the site’s various features.

Bobak “Bobby” Talebian, director of the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy, spoke with MuckRock about FOIA.gov, how it works and what’s planned for its future. A new tool, dubbed a “FOIA Wizard,” is set for a beta release this fall and is aimed at helping users better see existing FOIA requests and craft new ones.

Read more here.

FOIA News: FOIA fun on Oct. 4th

Have a Little Fun with FOIA

By Electronic Frontier Found.

October 4, 2023 - 9:00am to 10:00am PDT

FOIA takes itself very seriously, but there are some really interesting public records finds that are a little off the beaten path and can be a fantastic engagement tool. For a few examples, peacoks run amok, the gender of the Secret Service hero dog, and other animal hijinks all make for great stories. Join EFF Investigative Researcher Beryl Lipton, Adrien Salzberg of MuckRock, and Ben Welsh of Reuters for a workshop on finding great FOIA stories, framing them so they resonate, and then following up to build awareness about public records and a stronger transparency community.

This event is part of the National Freedom of Information Coalition 2023 National FOI Summit, which runs from October 3rd to October 5th.

Original post here.

FOIA News: Need a gift?

Proving there’s nothing you can’t put on a t-shirt, here’s something for the FOIA lovers out there. https://tshirtatlowprice.com/products/foia-and-find-out-t-shirt/.

Disclaimer: FOIA Advisor has no connection to this merchant, nor do we endorse its merchandise.

FOIA News: NRLB finds replacement for FOIAOnline

NLRB Transitions to SecureRelease for Processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

Office of Public Affairs, NLRB, Sept. 26, 2023

Starting October 1, 2023, members of the public can submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for Agency records using SecureRelease. SecureRelease replaces FOIAOnline, which will be decommissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 30, 2023. For more information on the decommissioning of FOIAOnline, please see this FAQ.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Artificial intelligence at the State Dep't

AI Update: State Department’s AI Programs, Google’s AI Push into Government

FedManager, Sept. 26, 2023

Agencies across the federal government are preparing strategies to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technology. At the State Department, the agency is amid several different artificial intelligence projects.

One State Department pilot program uses AI to process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. AI helps cut down on work by combining similar requests, eliminating duplicate work, and finding potentially responsive records. AI is also being used to identify classified and other FOIA-exempt materials in search results, although it is not used for redactions at this moment.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Upcoming FOIA training for gov't employees

On October 4, 2023, the Office of Information Policy will host a two-hour virtual training session on agency FOIA reports for government employees. Reserve your spot here.

FOIA News: DOJ issues assessment of 2023 CFO Reports and 2024 guidance

Summary and Assessment of Agency 2023 Chief FOIA Officer Reports and New Guidelines for 2024 CFO Reports Issued

By DOJ/OIP, FOIA Post, Sept. 20, 2023

Today the Office of Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to release its summary and assessment of agencies’ 2023 Chief FOIA Officer (CFO) Reports.  OIP’s 2023 summary and assessment focuses on steps agencies have taken to improve FOIA administration in five key areas highlighted in the Attorney General’s 2022 FOIA Guidelines:

• FOIA Leadership and Applying a Presumption of Openness;

• Ensuring Fair and Effective FOIA Administration;

• Proactive Disclosures;

• Utilizing Technology to Improve Efficiency; and

• Steps Taken to Remove Barriers to Access, Improve Timelines, and Reduce Backlogs.

This past March marked the fourteenth year that agency CFOs submitted these reports to the Department of Justice.

Read more here.

FOIA News: "FOIA Love" musical comedy still going strong after 10 years

Comedy-Bluegrass Show “FOIA Love” Makes Troy Debut

By Cara Denton, NYS Music, Sept. 20, 2023

FOIA Love: A Comedy and Bluegrass Show About Public Records, is making its one-night Troy debut on October 22 at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The show is a comedy and music performance, with all humor inspired by actual public documents, such as FCC complaints about Big Bang Theory being too violent, FBI profiles of sports stars, and misguided visa rejections.

Read more here.

Additional tour dates here.

FOIA News: OIP training dates for FY 2024

OIP Announces New FOIA Training Dates for Fiscal Year 2024

Today, the Office of Information Policy (OIP) announces new dates for FOIA training for the first half of Fiscal Year 2024.  As part of its responsibility to encourage agency compliance with the FOIA, OIP offers numerous training opportunities throughout the year for agency FOIA professionals and individuals with FOIA responsibilities. 

These courses are designed to offer training opportunities for personnel from all stages of the FOIA workforce, from new hires to the experienced FOIA professionals or FOIA managers.  OIP will continue to offer virtual training sessions that will be taught in real-time by OIP instructors.  We will announce more training opportunities for spring and summer 2024 at a later date.  As Fiscal Year 2024 quickly approaches, we are pleased to announce these virtual training courses, which are also available on OIP’s Eventbrite page:

Read more here.

FOIA News: MuckRock Launches FOIA Log Explorer

Browse thousands of additional FOIA requests with the new FOIA Log Explorer

By Michael Morisy, MuckRock, Sept. 18, 2023

The FOIA Log Explorer expands that view by importing data on thousands of requests from dozens of agencies at the state, local and federal level, making it easier to search through and see what kinds of materials agencies are and are not releasing, as well as helping you craft more targeted requests of your own.

The Explorer does this by digitizing, normalizing and importing data from FOIA logs, lists that many agencies keep of all of the requests they receive over a given time period. These kinds of logs are invaluable tools for developing story ideas, whether by gathering ideas for items you can request or getting clues about commercial interest in specific areas of governmental operations.

Read more here.