FBI file dismisses conspiracy theories surrounding a Watergate-connected plane crash

FBI file dismisses conspiracy theories surrounding a Watergate-connected plane crash

One of the more persistent, but less well-known, conspiracy theories surrounding Watergate is the crash of United Airlines flight 553 that killed Dorothy Hunt, a former government employee who was transporting $10,000 in hush money on behalf of her husband and Watergate burglar, E. Howard Hunt. Recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation files, however, tell a different story - one of pilot error, unfortunate coincidence, and an utter lack of foul play.

Read More

The power of polish, according to the CIA

The power of polish, according to the CIA

The human experience is complex, language can only do so much to convey its intricacies, and in some situations, just what would and wouldn’t be considered unforgivable can be determined by just one word. Few government entities understood this better than a post-Church Committee Central Intelligence Agency.

Read More

FBI file reveals some of the secrets of Howard Hunt’s White House safe

FBI file reveals some of the secrets of Howard Hunt’s White House safe

A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation file, which the Bureau previously said they couldn’t find any record of, sheds a sliver of light on an enduring Watergate mystery: the contents of E. Howard Hunt’s White House safe, which was cracked open and its contents eventually given to the FBI after the Watergate arrests. In typical fashion for matters that touch on the Central Intelligence Agency (including anything involving Hunt), the answers offered up by the FBI file raise additional questions when they’re interrogated.

Read More

U.S. Marshals hires private prison giant CoreCivic to hold 1,350 prisoners in Mississippi

U.S. Marshals hires private prison giant CoreCivic to hold 1,350 prisoners in Mississippi

Private prison company CoreCivic sees growth in demand from U.S. Marshals Service as part of its forward-moving plan.

Read More

A whole lot of transparency: MuckRock users file 50,000 requests

A whole lot of transparency: MuckRock users file 50,000 requests

MuckRock’s amazing community of FOIA and public records enthusiasts have crossed another milestone: A user recently filed the site’s 50,000th requests, the 9,486th request this year.

Read More

Projects See all

  • The Private Prison Project

    ★ Featured
    • Contribute
    • 44% funded
    • $4470.00 raised
    • 110 backers
    For-profit detention continues to reap the rewards of an incarceration system filled to the brim and facing an uncertain future. Our FOIA requests have released thousands of documents that show how for-profit prisons have leveraged the legal system to their advantage, letting companies pick-and-choose inmates to off-load costs, ignore complaints and concerns, and create dangerous conditions for prisoners and staff alike. This is all done while billions of taxpayer dollars are funneled into these private companies, which then pour millions into politicians' campaigns to keep their growth going. With your help, we can provide needed scrutiny of an industry few are even aware exists.

    Learn more

  • Subjects Matter: FBI Files

    ★ Featured
    • Contribute
    • 43% funded
    • $2150.00 raised
    • 19 backers
    This project aims to sift through the hundreds of thousands of pages of FBI archival material we've released, so we can better understand why the Bureau had an eye on these people - and through that, better understand who they're keeping tabs on today.

    Learn more

  • Counting the Uncounted: The Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Project

    ★ Featured
    • Contribute
    • 44% funded
    • $1555.00 raised
    • 22 backers
    Despite an estimated 175,000 sexual assault evidence collection kits that sit untested in evidence rooms and crime labs across the country, there is no federal law in place mandating policies or testing of kits, and we don't know how many more go uncounted. This project aims to end that, one city and one kit at a time.

    Learn more

  • FOIA 101: Tips and Tricks to Make You a Transparency Master

    ★ Featured
    Whether it's your first request or your first request *today,* it never hurts to go over the basics. MuckRock's compiled a lot of FOIA advice over the years, and with this project, it's all in one place.

    Learn more