And they say FOI has no street cred? Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard was “heavily involved” in “murder, car-jackings … and the sale of drugs [and] illegal guns”, according to a newly released FBI report. The FBI’s 93-page file on ODB, revealed in a Freedom of Information request, connects the rapper with a litany of serious crimes in the [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: FBI files, FOI at work | Leave a Comment »
Read this one carefully as the proud owner of an artificial hip (mine is NOT metal, thankfully!) in the New York Times: The federal government has received a surge in complaints in recent months about failed hip replacements, suggesting that serious problems persist with some types of artificial hips even as researchers scramble to evaluate [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: FOI at work, Food & Drug Administration, Hip replacement, New York Times | 1 Comment »
Some great FOI work here by Bloomberg, telling the tale of just how crazy the financial meltdown really was… Citigroup and Bank of America were the reigning champions of finance in 2006 as home prices peaked, leading the 10 biggest U.S. banks and brokerage firms to their best year ever with $104 billion of profits. By [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, 6. Overcoming denials | Tagged: Bank of America, Bloomberg L.P., Citigroup, Federal Reserve System, FOI at work, Morgan Stanley | Leave a Comment »
There is so, so much to love about this story. First, how often do reporters get stymied when seeking information, shrug and walk away? Not this reporter! And restaurant inspections are so elemental, so easy to get in most states, that it boggles the mind that they are so hard to get in Louisiana, a [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law | Tagged: Daily Advertiser, FOI at work, Health department, Inspection, Louisiana | Leave a Comment »
KLTV 7 has obtained dramatic dash-cam video of Smith County authorities chasing a man in a stolen Tyler police car. After making numerous requests though the Freedom of Information Act, we were able to obtain the thirty-minute video of that May pursuit. The chase started on Highway 155 in Noonday after 24-year-old Isaac Garcia attempted to rob two [...]
Filed under: 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law | Tagged: dashcam video, FOI at work, police, Texas | Leave a Comment »
Man, will these people NEVER learn? The Detroit Free Press just nails ‘em to the wall, thanks to FOI: More than $210,000 intended for poor people but instead used to furnish a City of Detroit office paid for numerous leather chairs, a $3,000 mahogany-finish conference table and at least three stainless steel trash cans with [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: Detroit Free Press, FOI at work, Furniture, office expenses, receipts | 1 Comment »
AcademicFOI.Com aims to investigate UK universities and higher education institutions through the use of Freedom of Information requests. We actively invite suggestions for investigations from university staff, student representatives, careers teachers, alumni, benefactors, research clients, journalists, politicians and special interest groups. The results of requests are carefully analysed, published in detail on our website and [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: FOI at work, universities | Leave a Comment »
A great post here on the recent analysis of SEC disclosure filings reveals this gem: Between 2006 and 2010, at least 219 former SEC staff appeared before their former agency on behalf of private-sector clients in 800 different matters, according to a new database created by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) and shared with iWatch News [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: FOI at work | Leave a Comment »
The Associated Press popped a nice FOI-driven story today: Corrections officials in Arkansas fired dozens of employees this year for indiscretions ranging from failed drug tests to sleeping on the job, documents obtained by The Associated Press show. The latest batch of disciplinary actions, obtained under a Freedom of Information request, reveal that as the [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: corrections, FOI at work, prisons | Leave a Comment »
A GREAT FOI-driven story: The FBI released documents Monday stating that New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner assisted the agency in two investigations— one of them apparently a terrorism probe—in the years leading up to his pardon by President Ronald Reagan on a campaign-contributions conviction. The Associated Press and other news organizations requested the FBI file under [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: Federal Bureau of Investigation, FOI at work, George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees | Leave a Comment »
