#9 - Freedom of Information Act
Anyone in the field of journalism or journalism adjacent careers know what the Freedom of Information Act is. It is a big part of what we do. The Freedom on Information Act was passed in order for citizens (U.S. or otherwise) to have access to government files and documents. This information is important for publishing accurate news articles and doing investigative journalism. As mentioned pretty much anyone can make a request under the FOIA. This bill applies to all government agencies. There are limitations but they are put in place for protective purposes. The information available is generally nothing too in depth or personal.
What does it cost to file a FIOA request? The initial cost is 25 dollars but a waiver for that fee can be presented. There are cases where the searching and acquisition of the information can cost more than that and it is responsible for the person making that request to cover the charge. According to the official website "Each federal agency handles its own records in response to requests. There are currently one hundred agencies subject to the FOIA with several hundred offices that process FOIA requests. Your request will receive the quickest possible response if it is addressed directly to the FOIA office of the agency or agency component that you believe has the records you are seeking. See the list of federal agencies for the individual contact information for each agency.". This means that the request will be handled by the specific agency you request information from. The website also states that there is no specific form you have to use to make a request. It is meant to be a fairly straightforward process in order to provide the information needed for the public to have a sound piece of mind
The exemptions are pretty far reaching but they are generally in the best interest of the people and the government. The geological exemption is one that often confuses people but it turns out it was mainly created to protect paid oil surveys from being snatched up by other oil companies. One that is often widely cited for a denial of a request is #6. This is quite possibly one of the farthest reaching exemptions besides #1. In smaller cases 6 is more powerful, justice.gov states that "On the other hand, if a privacy interest is found to exist, the public interest in disclosure, if any, must be weighed against the privacy interest in nondisclosure. (17) If no public interest exists, the information should be protected; as the D.C. Circuit has observed, "something, even a modest privacy interest, outweighs nothing every time." (18) Similarly, if the privacy interest outweighs the public interest, the information should be withheld; if the opposite is found to be the case, the information should be released. (19)". #1 is powerful because many agencies have the ability to classify whatever they please with minimal reason, this isn't to say that anything can be redacted without cause though. Some other exemptions are obvious such as #4. This one prevents things like insider trading and other financially based misdeeds. All in all it doesn't hurt to study up on the FIOA. Knowing how and where to request information from your government is a great skill to have just for future reference.
What does it cost to file a FIOA request? The initial cost is 25 dollars but a waiver for that fee can be presented. There are cases where the searching and acquisition of the information can cost more than that and it is responsible for the person making that request to cover the charge. According to the official website "Each federal agency handles its own records in response to requests. There are currently one hundred agencies subject to the FOIA with several hundred offices that process FOIA requests. Your request will receive the quickest possible response if it is addressed directly to the FOIA office of the agency or agency component that you believe has the records you are seeking. See the list of federal agencies for the individual contact information for each agency.". This means that the request will be handled by the specific agency you request information from. The website also states that there is no specific form you have to use to make a request. It is meant to be a fairly straightforward process in order to provide the information needed for the public to have a sound piece of mind
The exemptions are pretty far reaching but they are generally in the best interest of the people and the government. The geological exemption is one that often confuses people but it turns out it was mainly created to protect paid oil surveys from being snatched up by other oil companies. One that is often widely cited for a denial of a request is #6. This is quite possibly one of the farthest reaching exemptions besides #1. In smaller cases 6 is more powerful, justice.gov states that "On the other hand, if a privacy interest is found to exist, the public interest in disclosure, if any, must be weighed against the privacy interest in nondisclosure. (17) If no public interest exists, the information should be protected; as the D.C. Circuit has observed, "something, even a modest privacy interest, outweighs nothing every time." (18) Similarly, if the privacy interest outweighs the public interest, the information should be withheld; if the opposite is found to be the case, the information should be released. (19)". #1 is powerful because many agencies have the ability to classify whatever they please with minimal reason, this isn't to say that anything can be redacted without cause though. Some other exemptions are obvious such as #4. This one prevents things like insider trading and other financially based misdeeds. All in all it doesn't hurt to study up on the FIOA. Knowing how and where to request information from your government is a great skill to have just for future reference.
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