March 16 is Freedom of Information Day, a day during Sunshine Week which specifically celebrates the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the key role it plays in promoting good government. FOIA is of the utmost importance to Whistleblower Network News, both in the way it supports whistleblowers and their truth telling and in how it aids WNN’s original reporting.
FOIA was passed in 1966 and provides the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Under FOIA, federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested by the public unless it falls under an exemption protecting personal privacy, national security, and other interests.
In 2020, WNN hosted a webinar on how to effectively use FOIA. The webinar features leading whistleblower lawyer Stephen M. Kohn, who is a founding partner of whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto as well as the Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center.
In the webinar, Kohn provides background information about the intent of FOIA and the way it has historically been used. He then describes the steps of the FOIA process in the simplest terms possible: First, write the best description of the documents you are requesting and make sure you are submitting your request to the correct government agency. Then, apply to have your FOIA request expedited and the fee waived. Kohn then goes into detail about each of the steps and demonstrates how to use language that provides a request with...
President Donald Trump made a series of false claims at his Monday press conference about the war with Iran, during which his remarks strayed into other foreign policy issues. Trump also made mult...