FOIA Backlog Down, But Agencies Missed Opportunity for Major Breakthrough

· Story link

A just completed study by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government shows that federal departments and agencies made little progress in responding to Freedom of Information Act requests, despite a two-year-old presidential directive to improve service. The report, “An Opportunity Lost”, says agencies cut staff and FOIA spending in 2007 and as a result failed to take advantage of a sharp fall off in FOIA requests to make significant reductions in the backlog of unprocessed requests. (7/3/08)