Additional resources
The following is a (short) list of resources to further hone your FOIA skills and get connected with other people doing FOIA work and advocating for government transparency:
- Federal Government’s central location for FOIA information:
https://www.foia.gov/ - Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act:
https://www.justice.gov/oip/doj-guide-freedom-information-act-0 - National Archives and Records Administration (NARA):
https://www.archives.gov/ - The University of Washington Center for Human Rights has a Access to Information Project working on justice in El Salvador, and immigration enforcement in Washington state, and publishes reports, documents and related local news:
https://jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/projects/access-information-human-right/ - The University of Washington Center for Human Rights publishes documents obtained through the FOIA in a permanent collection held by the University Library:
https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/38709 - National Security Archive (an NGO located at the George Washington University Library in Washington, D.C.) has done extensive FOIA work for nearly 35 years:
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/ - National Security Archive developed a use guide for the FOIA, “Effective FOIA Requesting for Everyone”:
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//nsa/foia/foia_guide/foia_guide_full.pdf - National Security Archive blog, “UNREDACTED” to keep updated on all of your FOIA news:
https://unredacted.com/ - Muckrock, a website for sharing, tracking, submitting, and posting about FOIAs:
https://www.muckrock.com/ - Government Attic, a place to find declassified documents obtained via the FOIA:
https://www.governmentattic.org/ - Freedominfo.org, self-described as “the global network of freedom of information advocates”:
http://freedominfo.org/ - Open the Government is a government transparency advocacy group in Washington, D.C.:
https://www.openthegovernment.org/ - Jeffrey Richelson’s book, The U.S. Intelligence Community, is a great resource to know what agency in the intelligence community produces what kinds of documents and information over time: Richelson, Jeffrey. The U.S. Intelligence Community. Seventh ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2016.
- Project on Government Oversight, has news, document collections and more:
https://www.pogo.org/ - There are many, many more! See who is doing what in your community!
