Filing FOIAs like some kind of machine

Published by Samantha Sunne on 03/28/2017

Welcome to spring, reporters! šŸ£ Ā Last year was FOIAā€™s 50th birthday, and I did a TFR on FOIA tools. This year, one of those tools has changed, and Iā€™m revisiting it.

FOIAMachine is now part of MuckRock, a robust site for filing and tracking public records requests thatā€™s popular even outside of journalists.

This partnership allows FOIAMachine to fill in agency info automatically, which is nice, although the agencies it has listed are somewhat limited.

It also lets you share and see other peopleā€™s requests, helping everybody learn from each other. Thatā€™s one of MuckRockā€™s signature features, and one reason itā€™s popular outside of journalists.

These features are new as of this week, so spread the word via Twitter, passing on this email, or tagging your friendly neighborhood supermarket!