Through the power of FOIA logs, FOIA-minded reporters can find interesting story ideas by asking for and digging through the history of what other people are looking to obtain.

The U.S. Department of Defense reported receiving more than 57,000 Freedom of Information Act requests across 33 components last year. Want to know what these requesters were looking to get? Check the FOIA log.

Richmond School Board offers a special lesson in how the Virginia Freedom of Information Act is not supposed to work.

The Virginia Department of Corrections came under national scrutiny in September when visitors learned they would not be allowed to wear tampons or menstrual cups, citing them as an apparent contraband risk. A FOIA request for a more thorough explanation of the tampon ban - through policy documents and a log of contraband incidents alluded to in the Times - revealed a two-month wait of rejection, denial and, finally, the single-page document behind the ban.

Each week, we host a conversation that addresses topics and answer any general questions important to FOIA users. Last week’s topic was about where and how to find inspiration for filing creative public records requests.