Rodong Sinmun [State Dept.]

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

Any and all documents mentioning the North Korean news outlet, Rodong Sinmun (including their web publication, located at http://http://www.rodong.rep.kp)

Please include any and all intelligence reports, press clippings, emails, memos, public statements, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, briefings and internal directives.

In the event that the contents of the requested documents are classified under Executive Order 13526, I also make the following additional requests:

Pursuant to section 1.2 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the level of classification of this information and its existence/nonexistence.

Pursuant to section 1.3 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific authority which classified this information.

Pursuant to section 1.4 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific classification categories of this information, as well as an identification or description of the damage to national security which the disclosure of this information would produce.

Pursuant to section 1.5 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting the specific duration of time for which this classification will stand.

Pursuant to section 1.6 of Executive Order 13526, I am requesting all classification markings about this information, including (1) one of the three classification levels defined in section 1.2 of Executive Order 13526, (2) the identity, by name and position, or by personal identifier, of the original classification authority, (3) the agency and office of origin, if not otherwise evident, (4) declassification instructions, and (5) a concise reason for classification that, at a minimum, cites the applicable classification categories in section 1.4 of Executive Order 13526.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Rich Jones

Please search from November 1, 1945 until May 12, 2014.

If that is too burdensome, please process from January 1, 2001 onwards.

On May 11, 2014, I requested documents under the Freedom of Information Act. My request was assigned the following identification number: F-2014-08294. On 5-23-2014, I received a response to my request in a letter from the Requester Communications Branch. I appeal the denial of my request to waive fees.

I appeal the decision to deny my request for a waiver of fees. I believe that I am entitled to a waiver of fees. Disclosure of the documents I requested is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in my commercial interest.

Submitted as evidence that I am not a commercial requester is the website "http://muckrock.com" - a public interest archive of US government information. I am not an owner or operator of MuckRock, I am simply a user and contributor. My use of MuckRock is analogous to my contributions to the free public online encyclopedia, Wikipedia - I am doing so solely in the interest of public understanding, and not for any commercial gain. I have used the MuckRock service to file hundreds of FOIA requests to other government agencies, and have always been considered a non-commercial requester by every single other branch of government, except the Department of State.

Submitted as evidence that I am member of the news media is the company listings of the company OpenWatch: https://openwatch.net/company/ . OpenWatch is a registered California corporation, and I am an executive board member of this company, which publishes original international news reporting, and provides technological and informational partnerships with other media and public interest groups.

Thank you for your consideration of this appeal.

Sincerely,

Rich Jones

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on May 11, 2014. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #F-2014-08294.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.