Learning how to file effective federal Freedom of Information Act requests and knowing what other national security information is publicly available are the first two steps toward getting great stories about the military and the war on terrorism—especially those scoops that the government doesn’t want reporters to find out about.
That was the advice given by Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists to reporters attending the first annual Medill National Security Journalism Initiative conference.
Steven Aftergood (Photo/Molly Nevola)
Aftergood, director of the federation’s Project on Government Secrecy, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on getting the U.S. government to respond to reporters’ inquiries on the military and other national security agencies.
During his hour-long presentation, Aftergood discussed websites, including some maintained by the government, that may provide a gold mine of information about how to properly file FOIAs and get information. One of them is his own website, Secrecy News, which reports on new developments in government secrecy and provides public access to documentary resources on secrecy, intelligence and national security policy.
Aftergood said every reporter needs to become familiar with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff Freedom of Information Act Requester Service Center.
The service center processes FOIAs for records related to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff (OSD/JS), and many other specific Defense Department components.
Aftergood also told reporters that before submitting a FOIA request, they should check to see if the information is not already on the Pentagon’s OSD/JS FOIA Library or other DoD web sites, as the chances are good someone else has done the applying and the waiting for you.
The service center’s Recently Posted Documents includes those newly released under FOIA. And its Frequently Requested Documents are those most often requested under the FOIA. The two sites are updated on a regular basis.
One key document is the executive summary of the Department of Defense Chief Freedom of Information Act Officer’s Report to the Department of Justice (PDF), which outlines what kind of material has been released recently, Aftergood said.
The Defense Department alone has dozens of sub-agencies devoted to processing FOIA requests, Aftergood said. In many cases, FOIA specialists working there—at the Pentagon and elsewhere—are key allies, especially in helping reporters know what it is that they are looking for.
“Know what exactly you want, be specific and you’ll increase your chances of success,’’ Aftergood said. “And find out who’s mostly likely to have what you want.’’
He added that FOIA officers are often eager to help. Without their input, many reporters file FOIAs that lack detailed and specific information, or are so broad that it takes Pentagon bureaucrats months or even years to comply with them.
“Also, you need to ask yourself, can you get it without using FOIA?’’ Aftergood asked. That often frees up documents, or entire databases, much more quickly.
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