Comments on: Congress and FOIA http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/ by Jeff Jarvis Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:04:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Demand Freedom of Information from Congress http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24654 BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Demand Freedom of Information from Congress Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:34:32 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24654 [...] Well, it ain’t a bandwagon, yet, but Mark Tapscott and Glenn Reynolds agree that we need to extend the Freedom of Information Act to Congress. Porkbusters is only the first of many good uses for sunshine on the dark corridors of power. [...] [...] Well, it ain’t a bandwagon, yet, but Mark Tapscott and Glenn Reynolds agree that we need to extend the Freedom of Information Act to Congress. Porkbusters is only the first of many good uses for sunshine on the dark corridors of power. [...]

]]> By: Karl http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24629 Karl Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:12:35 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24629 Mark, is there a web searchable resource I can use to find all that data? Or do I again, need to make a personal, direct request of those agencies? Mark, is there a web searchable resource I can use to find all that data? Or do I again, need to make a personal, direct request of those agencies?

]]> By: Mark Tapscott http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24455 Mark Tapscott Thu, 12 Jan 2006 02:19:49 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24455 Karl and Dexter: All FOIA requests are public documents and can be obtained from the agencies to which they were submitted. The responses to the FOIAs are also public documents and can be obtained. Agencies are required to maintain logs of when FOIAs are received and who they are received from, and, under both legislation currently under consideration in Congress and Bush's recent executive order concerning FOIA administration, agencies are to be required to maintain tracking systems analogous to those used by FedEx, Amazon. com, etc. to track the status of every FOIA request. Karl and Dexter:
All FOIA requests are public documents and can be obtained from the agencies to which they were submitted. The responses to the FOIAs are also public documents and can be obtained. Agencies are required to maintain logs of when FOIAs are received and who they are received from, and, under both legislation currently under consideration in Congress and Bush’s recent executive order concerning FOIA administration, agencies are to be required to maintain tracking systems analogous to those used by FedEx, Amazon. com, etc. to track the status of every FOIA request.

]]> By: Dexter Westbrook http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24439 Dexter Westbrook Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:29:41 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24439 Karl: It's not a bad idea but I doubt you'd get many postings. I file a lot of FOIA requests in my job, and I don't like to advertise what information I'm looking for (although a FOIA request is, itself, obtainable through FOIA, if you have some idea of who made it, to whom, and what it's about). About the question of whether Congress is subject to FOIA: It shouldn't be exempt, but I'm surprised that someone who has "experience as a critic, editor and media executive" doesn't know that it is. If you're in any way connected to the journalism biz, this is elementary knowledge, along the lines of knowing that there is a Senate and House. Karl:

It’s not a bad idea but I doubt you’d get many postings. I file a lot of FOIA requests in my job, and I don’t like to advertise what information I’m looking for (although a FOIA request is, itself, obtainable through FOIA, if you have some idea of who made it, to whom, and what it’s about).

About the question of whether Congress is subject to FOIA: It shouldn’t be exempt, but I’m surprised that someone who has “experience as a critic, editor and media executive” doesn’t know that it is. If you’re in any way connected to the journalism biz, this is elementary knowledge, along the lines of knowing that there is a Senate and House.

]]> By: Karl http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24430 Karl Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:02:30 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24430 Crazy idea: I'd like to see a resource where those that file FOIA requests post their requests and results to a public site, that all can contribute to, and reference. Crazy idea: I’d like to see a resource where those that file FOIA requests post their requests and results to a public site, that all can contribute to, and reference.

]]> By: Paul Grabowicz http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24412 Paul Grabowicz Wed, 11 Jan 2006 16:43:08 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24412 The other posters are correct - Congress has always been exempt from the FOIA. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press describes this in a section of its guide on How to Use the Federal FOI Act that notes which federal institutions are and aren't covered by the act: http://www.rcfp.org/foiact/guide_c.html The RCFP guide is a terrific resource in general on the FOIA. The other posters are correct - Congress has always been exempt from the FOIA.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press describes this in a section of its guide on How to Use the Federal FOI Act that notes which federal institutions are and aren’t covered by the act:

http://www.rcfp.org/foiact/guide_c.html

The RCFP guide is a terrific resource in general on the FOIA.

]]> By: Tom Evslin http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24406 Tom Evslin Wed, 11 Jan 2006 16:06:26 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24406 I did check. the FOIA covers only "agencies" carefully defined NOT to be Congress. Blogged a little moe about that and your attempt to be heard <a href="http://blog.tomevslin.com/2006/01/freedom_of_info.html" rel="nofollow"> here</a>. I did check. the FOIA covers only “agencies” carefully defined NOT to be Congress. Blogged a little moe about that and your attempt to be heard here.

]]> By: Mark Tapscott http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24404 Mark Tapscott Wed, 11 Jan 2006 15:50:15 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/01/11/congress-and-foia/#comment-24404 No, Jeff, Congress has always exempted itself from the federal FOIA. Transparency for thee in the Executive Branch, but not for me in the legislative branch. No, Jeff, Congress has always exempted itself from the federal FOIA. Transparency for thee in the Executive Branch, but not for me in the legislative branch.

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