Examine the following hypothetical scenario, and prepare a FOIA request using the attached template.
You are a representative of Advocating Accountability, Inc. (AAI), an educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government activities. AAI frequently uses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to investigate and uncover misconduct by government agencies and officials.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conducted a pilot study (the "Critical Information Study") of how news organizations make editorial decisions on the stories they cover. The FCC asked news organizations the following questions:
What is the news philosophy of the station?
Who decides what stories are covered?
How much does community input influence news coverage decisions?
What are the demographics of the news management staff?
What are the demographics of the news production staff?
The FCC was also planning to monitor the websites of news organizations and citizen journalists as part of a larger scale study.
News organizations claimed that the study was unconstitutional, and that the FCC was attempting to act as the "news police." In response to the controversy, the FCC decided to suspend the study.
AAI wants to investigate the reasoning behind the study. It would like to make a FOIA request to the FCC for any and all records in the possession of the FCC relating to the Critical Information Study, including, but not limited to, studies, memos and communications between FCC commissioners and/or staff members related to the study.