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FOIArkansas Project
Information professionals offer the following advice to people filing for documents under the federal Freedom of Information law:
- Have a clear picture what you're looking for, and describe it clearly to the federal agency. Requests for a broad range of documents will take longer for the agency to produce.
- Call the FOI officer before you file your request. The officer might be able to give an idea of your wait or help form the request.
- If you are requesting a number of documents, make clear that the agency should not wait until it has compiled them all in order to fill your request.
- The federal FOI law requires agencies to reply to your request within 20 working days, although that time is frequently extended. Amanda Frost, an attorney who handles FOI litigation in Washington, suggests filing an appeal with the agency or calling its FOI officer if you haven't heard anything after a month and a half.
A collaborative effort of
Arkansas News Bureau, the Log Cabin Democrat of Conway, the Pine Bluff Commercial, the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, The Jonesboro Sun and The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas
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