Category «Freedom of Information»

How to leak to a journalist

Nieman Lab – “Planning to leak? Read these tips first. There’s a lot out there to leak. The second Trump administration, historically unfriendly to the press, has thrown Washington into chaos. Tens of thousands of federal employees have been placed on leave or fired as billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE tries to gut the government. And …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Inside Elite Law Firms, Protests and Quitting After Trump Deals

The New York Times [no paywall] – The discontent does not appear to be resonating with leaders at Paul Weiss and Skadden, but it could hamstring their recruitment efforts. Ever since the elite law firms Paul Weiss and Skadden reached deals with President Trump to scuttle executive orders that could have crippled their businesses, the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Marketing

‘Boggles the mind’: Trump aide central to war plan debacle left Venmo friends list public

Follow up to The High Cost of Team Trump’s Sloppy OPSEC via Raw Story: “A new analysis suggests the widely condemned error triggered by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who included a journalist in a group chat discussing top-secret war plans, may not be an isolated incident, leaving him open to potential national security risks. That’s …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Over 50 Bar Organizations Stand Up For The Rule Of Law

Above the Law – One of the first things you need to know in a fight is who you can and can’t rely on. Thankfully, time and resources were saved by knowing that Paul Weiss is a lost cause. But the search is still on for compatriots willing to speak out against the current administration’s …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

The High Cost of Team Trump’s Sloppy OPSEC

This OPSEC Special Bulletin, on the left, went out to the Pentagon during the same time period that SECDEF was using an unauthorized Signal chat. The Bulwark: The top issue of the 2016 presidential election, the one that changed Donald Trump from a TV loudmouth to a world historical figure, was information security. Hillary Clinton’s …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Mail, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Were you fired by President Trump?

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Democratic Staff, is surveying the impact of the Trump Administration’s mass firings of federal employees from science agencies. If you were terminated from your position since January 20, 2025, please fill out this brief survey. While anonymous submissions will be helpful to the Committee’s efforts, we encourage you …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

History Professor Answers Dictator Questions

Via Wired YouTube Channel: “Professor and authoritarianism scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about dictators and fascism. Why do people support dictators? How do dictators come to power? What’s the difference between a dictatorship, an autocracy, and authoritarianism? What are the most common personality traits found in tyrants and dictators? …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Recommended Books

Public Records Reveal How Agencies Complied With Trump’s Anti-Trans Order

404 Media – Using the Freedom of Information Act, 404 Media has obtained several memos that government agencies were required to create by President Trump in order to comply with his “Defending Women” executive order. The memos explain exactly how different agencies are seeking to purge the notion that trans people exist. Many of the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Mail, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

50 Free Datasets in 50 Minutes

50 Free Datasets in 50 Minutes. National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 6, 2025: “Below are federal government datasets with individual-level structured data that can be downloaded for free as Excel or CSV files and localized to any city, county or state in the United States. Unless noted, all the data is updated …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Search Engines

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting

Freedom of the Press Foundation: “The news business isn’t just any business — it serves a vital role in our democracy, recognized by the First Amendment. But media outlets can’t serve that role if they’re bankrupt. And as a result, news readers often find themselves blocked by paywalls from reading important stories about government business. …

Subjects: E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

JFK Assassination Records – 2025 Documents Release

No smoking gun found in JFK assassination docs – National Archives March 18, 2025 Release – In accordance with President Donald Trump’s directive of March 17, 2025, all records previously withheld for classification that are part of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection are released. The National Archives has partnered with agencies across the …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

To overthrow a tyrant, try the 3.5 Percent Solution

Big Think: A study of 323 uprisings against repressive regimes yields stunning insights. No democracy movement has ever failed when it was able to mobilize at least 3.5 percent of the population to protest over a sustained period At that scale, most soldiers have no desire to suppress protesters. Why? Because the crowd includes their …

Subjects: Censorship, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research