Using the Freedom of Information Act is sometimes daunting or discouraging — even to reporters. Now comes a rescue for those wanting to avoid the hassle of a FOIA request. MuckRock, "an open government tool powered by state and federal Freedom of Information laws, a generous grant from the Sunlight Foundation," will file the FOIA request for you.

It's the brainchild of journalist Michael Morisy and start-up guru Mitchell Kotler. They will embargo a journalist's request before story publication, although request and response are eventually shared publicly on the website. [2]