FOIA Requests vs Obsidian Markdown

FOIA Requests

By James Anditis (Journalism)

Draft and file Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain government records.

Obsidian Markdown

By Steph Ango (Kepano / Obsidian)

Write powerful notes in Obsidian with linked pages, embeds, callouts, and rich formatting.

FOIA Requests

• Provides ready-to-use templates for federal and state FOIA requests with proper legal language
• Explains the 9 federal exemptions and state-specific public records laws across all 50 states
• Guides you through fee waiver requests, appeals processes, and tracking submission status
• Includes reference tables for state-by-state laws and legislative exemptions
• Offers strategic advice on crafting specific, targeted requests that agencies are more likely to fulfill

Obsidian Markdown

• Links notes together automatically so you can build a connected knowledge graph
• Embeds content from other notes, images, PDFs, and files directly into your current note
• Creates highlighted callouts for warnings, tips, questions, and important information
• Organizes notes with tags, properties, and frontmatter for easy searching and filtering
• Formats notes with highlighting, footnotes, math equations, and diagrams

Reach for FOIA Requests when…

• You're investigating a story and need official documents from a government agency
• You need to understand what records are legally available in your state or at the federal level
• You're appealing a denied FOIA request or requesting a fee waiver
• You're tracking multiple public records requests and need to follow up with agencies

Reach for Obsidian Markdown when…

• You're building a personal knowledge base or second brain in Obsidian
• You need to organize project notes, meeting notes, or research with interconnected links
• You want to create rich documentation with embedded images, PDFs, and cross-references
• You're managing a team wiki or shared knowledge repository