The same agency that had no qualms about sticking a giant world-devouring octopus on a spy satellite had a surprisingly lengthy deliberation over The Goddess logo, worrying that it would come off as too creepy or worse - like an “unappealing anime cartoon.”

Of all the training materials for police use of military vehicles we’ve seen so far, Colorado’s is by far the most comprehensive and informative … and also some of the strangest.

Briefings released via FOIA show the Secret Service closely monitoring political demonstrations, regardless of what was being demonstrated for or against.

After an amazing time at HOPE X, MuckRock is back for more. Come share your FOIA wins and learn to use public records like a pro at our two public records workshops on Saturday, starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Paris breakout room.

For decades, the he-said, she-said has worked in the favor of the private prison operator. They said that they’d be cheaper. They said that they would be more efficient. They said that recidivism would go down. And yet, despite little evidence that any of that is true, their stocks go up.

As part of our collaboration with Campaign Zero, MuckRock requested use of force policies from the 100 largest police departments in the country, including Miami-Dade PD. In the wake of this week’s shooting of Charles Kinsey, we wanted to give you a chance to read the policy yourself.

How family feuds, communist agents, and simple physics conspired to thwart the FBI’s plan to turn a West Virginia college into a World War III stronghold.

Do ‪private prisons‬ actually save money? We don’t have the ‪data‬ to answer that question, and if the industry gets its way, we never will.

Who are these women, and what do they want? A CIA targeted recruitment campaign tackles the big questions.

At the federal level, nine FOIA exemptions stand between you and records you want. Here’s what they are, what they mean, and what you can do about them.

With agencies increasingly using an array of exemptions to deny access to information, we want to help requesters fight back. We’re launching a project to track every public records exemption in all 50 states - and provide the information needed to successfully overcome times when information is improperly denied.

Homeland Security hopes to build grassroots support for its controversial Countering Violent Extremism program within American Muslim communities by fostering relationships between those communities and local police departments. The approach is marketed as a collaborative way to solve problems, but it rests on establishing a relationship which would commit community members into the work of policing.

Whether you’re interested in the CIA’s role in the Iranian coup of 1953 or just want the city to get around to fixing your sidewalk, public records can help shed light on the way your government is helping or hindering the world around you. MuckRock has five tips for instantly improving your early forays into the bureaucratic rabbit hole of FOIA

James Baldwin’s unflinching critique of racial unrest in America - and the government’s role in perpetuating it - earned him a spot on several FBI watchlists, and Bureau surveillance of his every move. However, Baldwin’s files show that on at least one occasion he was able to turn that scrutiny to his advantage.

Just because you don’t work in government doesn’t mean FOIA doesn’t work on you. How public records are helping illuminate the Trump candidacy.

Yesterday, The Marshall Project, in collaboration with the New York Times, released a story on the private extradition companies that take inmates on the hard trip to prison in another state. Now MuckRock wants to help you bring the story to your town and give us all some local context to a national narrative by guiding you through the request process.

As part of our collaboration with Campaign Zero, MuckRock requested use of force policies from the 100 largest police departments in the country, including Baton Rouge PD. In the wake of this week’s shooting of Alton Sterling, we wanted to give you a chance to read the policy yourself.

Concerned viewers accuse “Adventure Time” of being “too debase,” “Gravity Falls” of promoting Satanism, and “Rick and Morty” of … well, being “Rick and Morty.”

In honor of FOIA’s golden anniversary, we’re taking a look back along memory lane, at the victories, defeats, and rejections that brought it to where it is today.

For FOIA’s half-century celebration, MuckRock put together the largest collection of photos of presidents with cakes ever assembled. Guinness World Records committee, you know where to find us.

Last month, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law H.B. 4333, providing significant process overhauls to a law that has not been changed much since 1973, when the law was reworked to more closely match the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Here is what you need to know about the changed law.