Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related Freedom of information act

I've been looking through the notes and first draft for The Washington Beat and think I may have an idea for a sequel, if someone can give me a little information.

Briefly, what is involved in making a request for information under the US version of the Freedom of Information Act?

- do you have to make one request for each department you're interested in, or one request covering several departments?
- what sort of paperwork is required?
- is there a fee?

Well, my knowledge is a bit rusty, as it's been a few years since I took Journalism 101. I'm not sure about requests for each department; I guess it would depend on how large the place is and the likelihood of your request(s) getting lost in the paperwork shuffle. For paperwork, usually just a formal letter requesting what you want is sufficient, though some places might have forms they would require you to fill out. Our journalism teacher suggested we include in our request letters the statute or law that involves the Freedom of Information Act. Here's part of a sample template letter she gave us (I can't take credit for it):

It's agasint the law for agencies to charge you for the information; however, they are allowed to charge you for the cost of the paper they use in printing/copying your request. :rolleyes:

It's good to find out who is the person/department in charge of fulfilling public records requests at whatever agency you're requesting from. Also, it's good to be as specific as possible with your request. Both will help expedite your request.

Hope this helped more than mucked things up. I'm sure others will come by with more thorough information.

Sara