In looking at FOIA as a practice,
we need to recognize how the requestor is situated in time
and space. To best illustrate the processual nature, I will artificially distinguish
between several of the stages in making a request.
1. Research
2. Filing
3. Waiting
4. Response and Interpretation
In many cases, the following steps are necessary
5. Agency Appeal (+more waiting)
6. Legal Appeal
After understanding the situatedness of the FOIA process, it should be obvious that FOIA embodies a relationship, or maybe a game, between requestors and bureaucrats. Like any relationship or game, situations must be approached strategically. As a requestor, it is necessary to understand and imagine what the bureaucrat does and why. The bureaucrats, on the other hand, must look at a request in a more objective and formulaic way. In this final section, I will try to elucidate the very different shared logics of requestors and then bureaucrats. Finally, I will offer a summary of FOIA strategies.