Archive for July, 2011
More on Plain Writing
We at OGIS have a serious case of plain writing fever. As you read on the FOIA Ombudsman a few weeks ago, the Plain Writing Act, signed in October, goes into effect this fall. We see this as unqualified good news! So what is plain writing? Simply put, it is clear, precise writing that makes [...]
Posted by Carrie McGuire on July 29, 2011, under About OGIS, Best practices.
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Freedom of Information: Big in Japan (and Brazil and Spain…)
Those of us who live and breathe FOIA tend to stay pretty focused on the federal access law or, for those outside the Federal government, on a patchwork of U.S. state access laws. We may tend to overlook that there are now more than 90 countries with similar laws of their own, and we at [...]
Posted by Carrie McGuire on July 22, 2011, under About OGIS.
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Setting Expectations
If you’ve called OGIS, had a case with us or read this blog, you’ve probably heard the mantra: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!” We’ve heard from hundreds of people seeking assistance — on everything from the expected — FOIA delays, denials, fees and exemption use — to the unexpected — employee [...]
Posted by Kirsten Mitchell on July 15, 2011, under About OGIS, Best practices.
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Hold the alphabet soup, please.
Government-speak — with its acronyms, abbreviations and general jargon — can make anyone’s head spin. Can the DoD IDA get trained on FOIA with CBT? Will the EPA FPL share an MOU with OGIS? OMG, it’s ridiculous enough to make you LOL (or SMH)! Some of us in the Federal world get a little entrenched [...]
Posted by Corinna Zarek on July 7, 2011, under Best practices.
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