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Sunday, Sep. 20, 2020

Do most public requests for federal government information get a complete response?

Jacqueline Agustin, Gigafact
no

Both government reviews and external analyses find that most requests for records under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act don't get completely fulfilled. From 2012 to 2018, the Government Accountability Office reports, 27% of requests were satisfied in full, while another 39% were partially filled, with portions redacted or withheld. Agencies cited exemptions permitted under the law 4% of the time, and turned down 30% either because they were duplicates or because the records sought couldn't be located.

Requests under the 54-year-old law often meet resistance, generating many court challenges. A 2010 survey found some agencies had unanswered queries dating back nearly 20 years. In 2015, during the Obama administration, an Associated Press analysis found 77% of requests lacked complete responses. Three years later, under President Trump, the AP reported a 78% incomplete rate.

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