Matt Topic

I'm very excited to announce that I am co-hosting a snarky new #FOIA and government transparency podcast on Bloomberg with my good friend @jasonleopold.bsky.social. Check it out!

swap.fm/l/SPV6gC1hPD...

Our 2024 #FOIA numbers are in! Our suits resulted in the release of 106,966 pages of government records to our clients. These are documents that, but for a lawsuit, would never have been produced, or would have been slow-rolled for years. ☀️☀️☀️

Really enjoyed this! Thanks so much for the invite.

Case Updates First Amendment, Media, & Transparency Case Updates Take Action Today To put our first amendment experience on your side, call 312-243-5900, toll-free 888-644-6459 or contact us online. Contact Us Big...

Hey #FOIA friends. Here's a site that tracks all of our new cases and developments, for our clients who have consented to including their cases.

www.loevy.com/first-amendm...

I'm trying to be open-minded about all this, but how is a new flag a good use of time and resources? Is there something about the current flag that's problematic?

It’s f’ing golden!

Core copyright violation claim moves ahead in The Intercept’s lawsuit against OpenAI The ruling comes after a judge dismissed similar claims filed by Raw Story and AlterNet earlier this month.

Great coverage by @niemanlab.org and @andrewdeck.bsky.social of our Digital Millennium Copyright Act claims against OpenAI. For digital publishers unhappy with the use of their content to create AI bots that compete with news business, this is the path forward.

www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/copy...

Makes me miss Marie’s Riptide Lounge. And the old Tuman’s, where the furniture was salvaged from what college kids threw out.

Big news on the AI copyright front. Today our claims for The Intercept against OpenAI survived dismissal. There is a viable DMCA cause of action for news publishers without copyright registrations based on the unauthorized use of copyrighted material for the purposes of AI training.

Thanks to @jasonleopold.bsky.social @mvtopic.bsky.social and @a-marshall-plan.bsky.social at @reporterscommittee.bsky.social for sharing their insights

New Jersey lawmakers pass overhaul of state's open records law Over jeers of “shame” shouted from the gallery, New Jersey lawmakers have passed legislation to overhaul the state’s open public records law.

But one thing is absolutely clear: Democrats have been largely terrible on transparency, and in some places (New Jersey, I'm looking at you), they are reducing transparency, not increasing it. apnews.com/article/new-...

Of course, I've heard these things from politicians of both parties for years only to be let down time and time again, so in the words of the great Principal Skinner, "Prove me wrong, kids. Prove me wrong." Hope springs eternal.

Addendum: Unless Elon's Oct 18 comments that government should be "fully transparent" unless disclosure is a "massive risk" to the country are implemented.

Very good question. But it highlights that journalists shouldn't just rely on the affirmative COPA release. When these events occur, #FOIA CPD right away, and if denied, again at the COPA 60-day deadline.

Yep.

What will a second Trump term mean for the Freedom of Information Act? The law itself is likely to stand, but experts expect a surge in requests, longer delays, and more court dates.

Great piece by @niemanlab.org @andrewdeck.bsky.social about the state of #FOIA. My view: compliance has become a "national disgrace" under both the first Trump and the Biden admins. This is bi-partisan problem. Delays will get worse. www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/what...

FOIA.Wiki Welcome to the FOIA Wiki!

- developed and maintain foia.wiki, a free, collaborative legal resource in the federal #FOIA

- help RCFP with policy issues related to transparency

- really like learning about octopuses 🐙, which constantly amaze me

If you have any government transparency questions, hit me up!

An off-white graphic framed with swedish designed flowers and text in the middle FOIA Friday in Chicago the Chicago Park District works with the City to criminalize unhoused people Alderman Hadden tried to stop those who endeavor to feed precarious people who are in parks The Risk Manager at Parks makes many decisions we filed a lawsuit

this week, The #FOIA Bakery filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Parks Department

Aldermen + Chicago Parks respond to property owner complaints endeavoring to criminalize poor people who spend time in public parks and those who bring food to feed them.

We are researching the bad behavior of Parks.

I'm just getting into the swing of Bluesky so sorry for the delay. It hasn't yet been tested, but there is an argument to be made that existing #FOIA law covers private university police who have police (not just security) powers. But the General Assembly really ought to codify that.

The feds and FOIA subversion: Delay-until-they’re-dead edition Congress needs to once again update the FOIA statute.

Federal departments and agencies seem determined to do everything they can to avoid compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The latest game: cut the number of pages released per month to a pittance. My latest:

www.ocregister.com/2024/10/18/t...

Quite the parenthetical in a long (and very well-reported) story about the agony of a sports gambling addiction.

Today starting at 1pm ET.

At this point, seems pretty clear that it's not just under-prioritizing, but rather, a deliberate effort to drastically reduce the usefulness of #FOIA productions through the passage of time caused by increasing backlogs.

Such a pain to have to do this all over again in another platform.