When we first requested the 132,000 page Federal Bureau of Investigation file for activist Frank Wilkinson, the FBI first claimed they couldn’t find it, then directed us to the National Archives and Records Administration. But when NARA tracked down the file, it turned out to be empty. So where is it?

In April 1950, the US federal government raided the offices of Scientific American Magazine to destroy every printed issue, burning three thousand copies. The reason? The banned magazine contained an article, titled “The Hydrogen Bomb: II” written by Professor Hans Bethe, one of the country’s most prominent nuclear scientists, which had been deemed a threat to national security.

The occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building by the American Indian Movement resulted in lost and damaged property, and a number of documents being stolen from the building. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated some of these thefts, including an alleged plot by journalists Jack Anderson and Les Whitten to pay for these records. The FBI file on the affair describes how a retired Justice Department senior official contacted the Bureau’s current staff to vouch for Whitten, referencing his history of cooperating with the FBI as a confidential informant.

Documents obtained by MuckRock reveal both what triggered the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s espionage investigation of The Village Voice, and what caused it to expand to include the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Each state prosecutes nonconsensual pornography differently, and some free speech advocates are concerned that overly-broad laws will actually impede other liberties.

The investigation and subsequent indictment of Is Anyone Up?’s Hunter Moore demonstrates the legislative shortcomings when it comes to revenge porn.

Bay state officials have once again failed at creating recommendations for the state’s restrictive public records law.

Taxpayer funds are a key part in sustaining public services and our overall government. Our democracy is responsible for government oversight and ensuring the process of checks and balances works. But with some entities operating in both the public and private sectors, many quasi-government entities opt for the secrecy afforded to private companies.

After a two-year legal battle, a Suffolk County District Judge has ordered three District Attorneys in Massachusetts to release records to The Boston Globe following a lawsuit spearheaded by the state’s Attorney General, Maura Healey. This is the first time the state AG has sued another agency for failing to release records.

Public records advocates have always fought for stronger laws that allow for better oversight and accountability. Despite these efforts, law enforcement agencies are still finding loopholes to allow for the retention of information. While new police transparency bills in California and a recent public records overhaul in Massachusetts are huge victories for access, requesters still face serious barriers when trying to peek past the thin blue line.

A little more than a month after MuckRock launched The Secret Scandals of the Trump Administration project, we’ve submitted dozens of FOIA requests, and received a handful of excellent tips from our readers. A number of these tips have been especially helpful: we’ve even heard from former government employees with first-hand knowledge of potential scandals in some government agencies.

Almost a year ago to the day, I filed a FOIA request with the Federal Communications Commission for emails related to the now-infamous Ajit Pai Harlem Shake video. Today, those records were finally released, revealing just how how far the agency would go to fight accountability over even the stupidest issue.

We’re excited to announce that MuckRock is relaunching our Trump-focused FOIA project, rebranding it as “The Secret Scandals of the Trump Administration.” We’ll focus on the administration’s lesser known, but no less dangerous actions, which all too often escape media scrutiny.