-
A look at Massachusetts updated public records legislation
In September, the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records released its proposed update to public records regulations that would be used to carry out the long-awaited public records reform that goes into effect January 1, 2017. Here’s what’s in them.
-
With support from The Outline and Motherboard, MuckRock’s Thiel Fellowship is now offering over $5,000
We’ve already received a number of wonderful applications to the MuckRock Thiel Fellowship, and even more organizations and individuals have reached out to support highlighting companies connected to Peter Thiel. Selected fellows will now collectively receive over $5,255 in FOIA assistance, funds to pay request fees, and reporting stipends.
-
Steal This Bear: What FBI files on a prominent sixties radical taught me about Smokey
You never know what you’re going to find digging through old government records. Case in point: how Abbie Hoffman’s FBI file uncovered an arcane law regarding Smokey Bear.
-
Celebrating 250 years of your Right to Know
Today, this 28th day of September 2016, marks International Right-To-Know Day, currently celebrating 250 years of Right-To-Know legislation on the Earth. In 1766, a full ten years before the United States birthed itself, Sweden adopted “His Majesty’s Gracious Ordinance Relating to Freedom of Writing and of the Press,” and so set an example for open access to governments around the world - at last count, 113 in total.
-
Montgomery County’s flawed model for nationwide counterterror programs
Since 2013, the Montgomery County Model (MCM) has been hailed as the gold standard for community-based Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs across the country. Despite these accolades, there is little indication that MCM has been able to resolve the concerns raised by Muslim and civil rights groups about these counterterrorism programs - in fact, MCM seems to have proceeded simply by ignoring such concerns, helped by the secrecy with which the program operates.
-
Human Traffic: An update on prisoner transportation policies nationwide
This summer, MuckRock submitted requests to all 50 state Departments of Correction for their materials related to the transportation of inmates. Following up on a stunning story by The Marshall Project on privately-operated prisoner transport, the requests, worded broadly, sought the policies and contracts that are being employed across the country. Two months in, here’s what we’ve found so far.
-
The CIA took three years to reject FOIA request for criteria for rejecting FOIA requests
Curious about what criteria the CIA have for determining if they “can neither confirm nor deny” something? So did Jason Smathers, who back in 2010 filed one of MuckRock’s earliest requests for exactly that. Six years later, he still doesn’t know.
Projects See all
-
★ Featured
Use of Force Policy Project
As part of our collaboration with Campaign Zero, MuckRock requested use of force policies from the largest police departments in the country. -
★ Featured
The Private Prison Project
Over the past year, our FOIA requests have released thousands of documents that show how for-profit prisons have leveraged the legal system to their advantage, letting companies pick-and-choose inmates to off-load costs, ignore complaints and concerns, and create dangerous conditions for prisoners and staff alike. This is all done while ... - 100% funded
- $4025.00 raised
- 97 backers
- Ended
-
★ Featured
Subjects Matter: FBI Files
From Abbie Hoffman to Malcolm X, Ol' Dirty Bastard to the Insane Clown Posse, FBI files read like a veritable Who's Who of the 20th Century. This project aims to sift through the hundreds of thousands of agency archival material we've managed to get released, so we can better understand ... -
★ Featured
Hunting for Government's Oldest Computer
What started out as an attempt to answer a (seemingly) simple question - what is the oldest computer still in use by a government agency - has seen spiraled into a project that touches on issues of national security, record keeping, and finally finding out whatever happened to Zeos.
Recent completed requests
Completed
Controlled Substance Seizure Reports (Middleton Police Department)
George LeVines sent this request to the Middleton Police Department of Middleton, MA
Completed
1505 Checks #15698 through #15778
Paige Mcleod sent this request to the Chicago Police Department of Chicago, IL
Completed
Request for Information (Checks 16982 - 17267)
Ikram Bokhari sent this request to the Chicago Police Department of Chicago, IL
Completed
St. Cloud PD work orders for MRAP outfitting
Daniel Welch sent this request to the St Cloud Police Department of St Cloud, FL
Completed
Mefloquine Analyses in DMSS Request Manager
Remington Nevin sent this request to the Defense Health Agency of the United States of America
Completed
State-level inmate transportation policies, contracts, and invoices (Department of Corrections)
Beryl Lipton sent this request to the Department of Corrections of Wyoming