{
  "id": "1996-november-access-these-foi-sites",
  "slug": "1996-november-access-these-foi-sites",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-november-access-these-foi-sites.html",
  "year": 1996,
  "month": "November",
  "monthNum": 11,
  "headline": "Access these FOI sites",
  "kicker": "On the Internet",
  "author_name": "Nora Paul",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "Poynter",
  "summary": "A comprehensive guide to online resources and tools for using the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information from government agencies, including reference lists, discussion groups, filing guides, and contact information.",
  "keywords": [
    "FOIA",
    "transparency",
    "resources"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Journalism & Newsroom"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "World Wide Web",
    "gopher",
    "Internet",
    "Adobe Acrobat"
  ],
  "full_text": "Needing information on how to pry information from reluctant agencies? There is a wealth of resources compiled and available on the World Wide Web.\n\nResource Lists\n\nResources on Freedom of Information Issues: http://town.hall.org/places/spj/foi-resources.html\n\nCompiled by Syracuse University professor Barbara Croll Fought, the list points out Organizations and Resource Centers, Hotlines, Periodicals, Books and On-Line Resources. Although it is now a few years old, the references are all mostly still valid.\n\nParascope's FOIA Help Center Home Page: http://www.parascope.com/foia.html\n\nOK, yes, Parascope's mission is to uncover alien conspiracies and paranormal occurrences, but they have compiled a nice list of links to other FOIA information sites.\n\nState FOI Laws-Titles and Statutory Citations: http://www.missouri.edu/~foiwww/citelist.html\n\nNeed to recite the chapter and verse of your state's Public Records laws? This listing, by state, gives you the citations - have those recalcitrant officials read the rules.\n\nDiscussion Lists\n\nFOI-L: Listserv discussion group on FOI http://www.reporters.net/nfoic/foi-1.html Find out how to join the listserv, sponsored by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and Barbara Fought.\n\nOrganizations\n\nNational Freedom of Information Coalition Home Page: http://www.reporters.net/nfoic/index.html\n\nLinks to information about the NFOIC.\n\nGuides to Filing\n\nDepartment of Justice FOIA Guide gopher://justice2.usdoj.gov:70/11/oip/foia2\n\nThis gopher site listings and links to the chapters of DOJ's FOIA guide. They are in PDF format, which requires availability of an Adobe Acrobat viewer (download for free from http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/readstep.html)\n\nFOIA Tips and Tricks: http://www.parascope.com/tips.html\n\nAlthough the source of this site, Parascope, focuses on paranormal phenomenon, they have a useful, reasonable listing of the seven steps you should take in filing a FOIA request:\n\nDo your research first. Write your request clearly and be specific. Target your request. Establish and maintain contact with the agency. Stay administratively correct. Delays in processing requests while unfortunate are normal. Be reasonable.\n\nSTEP-BY-STEP GUIDE to using the Freedom of Information Act: http://www.aclu.org/library/foiafaq.html\n\nA FAQ on FOI.\n\nPoynter's List of the Top 38 Excuses Government Agencies Give for Not Being Able to Fulfill Your Data Request (And Suggestions on What You Should Say or Do)\nhttp://www.poynter.org/prof/poynter/excuse.html\n\nCompiled by participants at Poynter's Computer-Assisted Reporting seminar, 1994.\n\nContacts\n\nFOIA Administrative and Legal Contacts at Federal Agencies: http://www.soc.american.edu/~wc9923a/foia.html\n\nListing, by agency name, of the contacts for questions about FOIA request filing in that agency.\n\nNora Paul can be reached at (813) 821-9494, or send e-mail to npaul@poynter.org",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "2000-december-web-links",
      "score": 0.295
    },
    {
      "slug": "1999-december-foi-resources",
      "score": 0.29
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-december-handout-of-the-month",
      "score": 0.267
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-november-journalists-can-get-help-with-foi-issues-by",
      "score": 0.255
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-november-breaking-barriers",
      "score": 0.219
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-november-access-these-foi-sites.html",
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}