Twitter DMs (National Archives and Records Administration)
| Tracking # |
NARA-NGC-2017-000352 |
| Submitted | Feb. 21, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Michael Best
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts.
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities for AND Magazine, MuckRock and Glomar Disclosure and have an open arrangement with each. My articles have been widely read, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through the non-profit Internet Archive, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance. Additionally, case law states that “proof of the ability to disseminate the released information to a broad cross-section of the public is not required.” Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Dep’t of Justice, 365 F.3d 1108, 1126 (D.C. Cir. 2004); see Carney v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 19 F.3d 807, 814-15 (2d Cir. 1994). Further, courts have held that "qualified because it also had “firm” plans to “publish a number of . . . ‘document sets’” concerning United States foreign and national security policy." Under this criteria, as well, I qualify as a member of the news media. Additionally, courts have held that the news media status "focuses on the nature of the requester, not its request. The provision requires that the request be “made by” a representative of the news media. Id. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). A newspaper reporter, for example, is a representative of the news media regardless of how much interest there is in the story for which he or she is requesting information." As such, the details of the request itself are moot for the purposes of determining the appropriate fee category. As such, my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available and I therefore request that fees be waived.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, 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,
Michael Best
From: Wanda Williams
Dear Mr. Best,
We received your FOIA request regarding Twitter Direct Messages sent to or
from any Agency Twitter accounts.
Your request has been assigned internal tracking number NGC17-197
In order to complete a successful search, could you please provide a date
range for your request?
Thank you,
Wanda Williams
Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist
National Archives and Records Administration
Office of General Counsel
College Park, Maryland
301-837-0773
From: Michael Best
All available dates, please.
From: foia@nara.gov
This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov:443/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d2811bc1e0)
* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2017-000352
* Requester Name: Michael Best
* Date Submitted: 03/07/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts.
From: Wanda Williams
Dear Michael Best,
Attached you will find a copy of your FOIA request, dated February 21, 2017
and received in our office via, foia@nara.gov, on the same day. Your
request was assigned FOIAonline number NARA-NGC-2017-000352 and internal
tracking number NGC17-197.
Please note, you did not specify the time frame for the documents you seek.
Please get back with me on this matter.
In the future, please provide a time frame when you submit FOIA requests to
our office. If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to give me
a call directly.
Thank you,
Wanda Williams
Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist
National Archives and Records Administration
Office of General Counsel
College Park, Maryland
301-837-0773
From: foia@nara.gov
Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request NARA-NGC-2017-000352 has been fully granted. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Request Created on: 03/07/2017
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason: N/A
* Request Long Description: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts.
From: Michael Best
The reason I didn't specify a time frame is because I'm not limiting the time frame - I want all of the Direct Messages, per my original request.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 21, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #NARA-NGC-2017-000352.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 21, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #NARA-NGC-2017-000352.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 21, 2017. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #NARA-NGC-2017-000352.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Wanda Williams
*RE: NGC17-197 NARA-NGC-2017-000352 Direct Tweets *
Dear Mr. Best,
Thank you for contacting our office. Your request, NGC17-197, is currently
#27 in our complex queue. However, as responsive documents are sent out
for consultation, we may be able to get to your case as soon as possible.
We have identified and gathered all the responsive documents. I will
contact you in a week with a status update.
Thank you,
Wanda Williams
Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist
National Archives and Records Administration
Office of General Counsel
College Park, Maryland
301-837-0773 <(301)%20837-0773>
Wanda Williams
Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist
National Archives and Records Administration
Office of General Counsel
College Park, Maryland
301-837-0773
From:
The FOIA request NARA-NGC-2017-000352 has had its Tracking Number changed to NARA-NGC-2017-000352. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2017-000352
* New Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2017-000352
* Requester Name: Mr. Michael Best
* Date Submitted: 07/04/2018
* Long Description: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts.
From:
The FOIA request - NARA-NGC-2017-000352 description has been modified. Additional details for this item are as follows:
* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2017-000352
* Requester: Mr. Michael Best
* Submitted Date: 07/04/2018
* Description: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts.
Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter accounts for the time period of February 21, 2017 – April 27, 2017.
From:
NARA-NGC-2017-000352 has been processed with the following final disposition: Full Grant
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From:
NARA-NGC-2017-000352 has been processed with the following final disposition: Full Grant
There are too many files to display on this communication. See all files
From:
NARA-NGC-2017-000352 has been processed with the following final disposition: Full Grant
There are too many files to display on this communication. See all files
From: National Archives and Records Administration
August 22, 2018
*VIA FOIAOnline*
Michael Best
DEPT MR 33759
411A Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
requests@muckrock.com
*Re: Freedom of Information Act Request: NGC17-197*
Dear Mr. Best:
This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated
February 21, 2017, and received in our office with a completed date range
on March 7, 2017. Your request was assigned *FOIAOnline* tracking number
NARA-NGC-2017-000352, as well as the above internal tracking number. In
your request, you stated that you were seeking the following:
*Copies of all Twitter Direct Messages sent to or from any Agency Twitter
accounts for the time period of February 21, 2017 – April 27, 2017.*
Following a search we located 11 documents totaling 11 records responsive
to your request. The responsive documents are all being released to you in
full with no redactions and being provided in the PDF format and uploaded
to *FOIAOnline*. I will also send the documents to your direct email
address. The direct twitter messages are from the following accounts:
@LBJLibrary, @ReaganLibrary, @usnatarchives, @NARA_Diversity,
@OurPresidents, @Boston_Archives, and @TrumanLibrary.
If you are not satisfied with our action on this request, you have the
right to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days
from the date of this letter via regular U.S. mail or email. By filing an
appeal, you preserve your rights under FOIA and give the agency a chance to
review and reconsider your request and the agency’s decision. If you
submit your appeal in writing, please address it to the Deputy Archivist of
the United States (ND), National Archives and Records Administration, 8601
Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740. Both the letter and the
envelope should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” If
you submit your appeal by e-mail please send it to FOIA@nara.gov, also
addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States. Please be sure to
explain why you believe this response does not meet the requirements of the
FOIA. All correspondence should reference your case tracking number
NGC17-197 and your *FOIAOnline* tracking number.
If you would like to discuss our response before filing an appeal to
attempt to resolve your dispute without going through the appeals process,
you may contact our FOIA Public Liaison Gary M. Stern for assistance at the
address below:
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3110
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-1750
garym.stern@nara.gov
If you are unable to resolve your FOIA dispute through our FOIA Public
Liaison, the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), the Federal
FOIA Ombudsman’s office, offers mediation services to help resolve disputes
between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies. The contact information for
OGIS is:
Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS
College Park, MD 20740-6001
ogis@nara.gov <goog_1668941249>
ogis.archives.gov
202-741-5770
1-877-684-6448
Thank you for contacting the National Archives and Records Administration,
and please feel free to also contact me directly if you have any questions
about this FOIA request.
Sincerely,
Wanda Williams
Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist
National Archives and Records Administration
Office of General Counsel
College Park, Maryland
301-837-0773
*"Live Your Best Life, Be The Change You Want To See"
~Oprah & Gandhi *
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