The Public Records and Archive Mapping workgroup is focused on collecting, collating, and providing avenues for generating new archives. Specifically, we are working on constructing an archive of contemporary Zionist repression; and on building an archive of the way contemporary Zionist organizations are working through institutions to suppress knowledge about and advocacy for Palestine.
Contact: foia@criticalzionismstudies.org
1. Submitting a Public Records Request
- What are Public Records
- How-to Zine: Submitting a Public Records Request Explainer
- Video Explainer Workshop
2. Get Our Help
3. Additional Resources
1. Submitting a Public Records Request
What are Public Records
How-to Zine: Submitting a Public Records Request Explainer
Download the zine here.
Video Explainer Workshop
2. Get Our Help
What we’re offering
We offer the technical infrastructure to submit public records requests via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or state-level equivalents such as the California Public Records Act (CPRA) or New Yorkโs Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) so that individuals may anonymously seek records from their own institutions. We will handle all the communication about the public records request with the institution to which the request has been submitted. This is a free, volunteer-run service and requests will be handled based on the availability of our team. If we accept the request to submit on your behalf, you will receive a confirmation email from our team with further details. At this time, we are not able to provide legal advice or services to pursue public records requests that go unanswered or to challenge legal exemptions to the release of requested records.
The public records research that we conduct together becomes a permanent part of the ICSZ archive, a project that builds toward the goal of broad-based institutional power mapping. The archive will make many public records documents available online โ although some documents in the archive may not be posted if, for example, they might fuel Zionist doxxing efforts. Public Records requests themselves may also become part of the ICSZ archive (in anonymized form) for use as examples for others to adapt.
If you have questions prior to submitting or would like to follow up on a request please contact us at foia@criticalzionismstudies.org
Intake Form
3. Additional Resources
Know Your Fights! Using Public Records Laws in Abolitionist Organizing; zine created by the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition with support from Law for Black Lives
FOIA 101: Tips and Tricks to Make You a Transparency Master; prepared by MuckRock and focused on FOIA (federal, not local, requests)
Tips for Better FOIA Requests: Taking Right-to-Information Access to the Next Level, prepared by the Global Investigative Journalism Network
How to file a FOIA request, prepared by the National Security Archive
Freedom of Information Laws by State, prepared by the National Freedom of Information Coalition
FOIA Machine, automatically generated Public Records requests [federal] โ more info available at the New Jersey Foundation for an Open Government (where there is also a link to a NJ-specific letter-generator)
Public Records Letter Generator (State and Local), offered by the Student Press Law Center โ find specific info about state and local codes through this generator