Have you run into an egregious records denial? Still aching about an agency thwarting the public’s right to know? Just need to vent about the one (FOIA request) that got away? This is your chance to share and commiserate: Submissions are open for nominations to the 2025 Foilies!
Since 2015, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has sought to “honor” those agencies, institutions and individuals that have gone above and beyond when it comes to restricting access to information. Previous winners miscreants such as vandals that stuffed cow manure and pasta in the mailbox of a requester they did not like; U.S. Southern Command for surrealist redaction art that ventured into absurdism; and the ignominious demise of FOIAonline.
Recipients are highlighted not just by EFF and MuckRock, but by our friends at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, which includes alternative weeklies across the country as well as other independent media outlets.
Submissions are welcomed from all corners of the transparency community - journalists, researchers, activists, both local and global. We’re not just interested in your personal battles but also FOIA fights you’ve read or seen about elsewhere — there’s a lot of transparency nonsense every year, so we often miss things!
We seek examples from every government level - local, state, national - and while our focus is on U.S. events, global instances of obfuscation are also welcome. Submit Foilies nominations early and often — we’ll be reviewing entries on a rolling basis.
Header art via EFF and licensed under CC BY 3.0 US.
