does not give the news media the right to push human dignity and decency aside. Additional information on the PA may be found in SECNAVINST 5211.5 series or in PA Regs, Chapter 7. THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT LEARNING   OBJECTIVE:   Identify   the   basic provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The  Freedom  of  Information  Act  (FOIA)  was established in 1966 to give the public the right to access records   of   the   executive   branch   of   the   federal government.  It  established  for  the  first  time  in  U.S. history the right of “any person” to seek access to these records. More   than   40,000   FOIA   requests   are   received annually from organizations and individuals. Requests center  on  the  programs  and  activities  of  the  DoD, including (but not limited to) the following: .  Projected  retirees l   Decklogs l   Investigations l   Contracts l  Nuclear  weapons l Disposal of toxic substances AGENCY  RECORDS The FOIA provides for access to U.S. government “agency records” — simply stated, products that result from the gathering of data. They may include records originated  by  the  agency  or  those  it  has  received  and maintained  at  the  time  of  the  FOIA  request.  Some examples of agency records include the following: l l l l l Books Papers Maps Photographs Machine-readable   materials   or   other documentary   materials   regardless   of   physical form or characteristics You also must be aware of the records that  do not qualify  for  release  under  the  FOIA.  Some  of  these records include the following: l l l l l Objects or articles (such as structures, furniture, paintings, sculpture, three-dimensional models, vehicles and equipment) Administrative  tools  (such  as  computer  soft- ware) Nontangible  records  (such  as  an  individual’s memory or oral communication) Personal records not subject to agency creation/ retention (such as notes to jog the memory of an employee) Unaltered  publications  and  processed  documents available to the public through other means (such as regulations, maps and manuals) FOIA REQUEST FORMAT A request for an agency record under the FOIA must follow  a  specific  format.  First,  and  most  important, make  sure  the  request  is  in  writing.  Do  not  process verbal requests, whether in person or on the telephone. Additionally, the request must indicate that it is made under  the  provisions  of  the  Department  of  the  Navy Freedom   of   Information   Act   (FOIA)   Program, SECNAVINST 5720.42 series, or its parent directives, DoD 5400.7 or DoD 5400.7-R. The  request  also  must  contain  a  reasonable description of the record(s) requested. This will enable you or others in your office to research the request with more  efficiency. FOIA FEES All fees related to an FOIA request must be paid by the  organization  or  person  making  the  request.  For commercial requesters, fees are assessed for the search, review and duplication of the requested records. All fees or under are automatically waived. However, in the case   of   educational   institutions,   noncommercial scientific institutions and news media representatives, fees can only be assessed for duplication (after the first 100 pages). All fees and under may be waived. FOIA  ASSISTANCE Occasionally, you will receive an FOIA request that does not meet the format previously described. Since 10-8