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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

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

By Jacqueline Agustin
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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.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Government Accountability Office: FOIA—federal agencies’ recent implementation efforts
George Washington University: National Security Archive—Backlog problems under FOIA
AP: New record for censoring, withholding government files (2018)
AP: Government sets record for failures to find files when asked (2016)
ABA Journal: 50th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.