How do I make a public information request?

We’ve written here about the history of the right to know, why it matters, and what policies affect your access to information. In this column, we’re going back to the basics so that Montanans, including you, are better equipped to exercise the right to know.

When we talk about the right to know, we talk about it as exercised through information requests, which are also referred to as right to know requests, public information requests and records requests. Each of these things refers to the same, simple concept: asking the state government or a local government for information. If you ask your government for information, you are making an information request protected by the right to know.  

There is no single way to make an information request. No statute, rule or standardized government form dictates how every information request must be formatted. If you send an email to your local city council asking for meeting minutes, you’ve made an information request. If you send a letter to the secretary of state asking for business records, you’ve made an information request. If you call or talk in person with a government employee and ask for information, that’s an information request.  

While making an information request can be as simple as asking a question to a government employee, some agencies and local governments have online forms or designated employees through which you can best submit an information request. If that process exists, you can generally find it on the agency’s website or by making a quick phone call to the agency. 

It’s best practice to make sure your request includes certain information so that it can be completed correctly and efficiently. Public information officers are the employees who often fulfill information requests, and they generally do so by searching through large databases. Giving them criteria to enter into search engines makes their search possible.  

Therefore, your information request should be sent to the correct agency and should include a clear description of the documents or information you are seeking, including keywords, individuals involved, dates, and any other information specific to your request that will assist the public information officer in their search. 

It’s often helpful to state the question you’re trying to answer, or to plainly describe the documents you’re seeking. That will help the public information officer apply your search terms to their knowledge of the agency. The more specific your request, the more likely you’ll receive the specific documents or information for which you’re searching. 

In our experiences talking with public information officers, they are hardworking, well-meaning public servants. They want to help you find the information you seek. So, we also think it’s important to enter the public information request process willing to work with the public information officer in case they have clarifying questions or if your initial search turns up too many, too few, or the wrong documents. We’ve written at length about existing problems with Montana’s information request process, but these problems don’t exist because of public information officers.  

We hope this basic description of the process is helpful, but we’re always here to help you fine tune your request, find the correct agency to submit it to, or with anything else you need related to the right to know. 

So, as we’ve asked before, what do you want to know? 

Visit our website at montanatransparencyproject.org. If you have questions, comments, column topics you’d like us to address, or if you want to submit your own information request, contact us at info@montanatransparencyproject.org and we would be happy to help!

Jacob Linfesty is president of the Montana Transparency Project.