In Greek myth, Sisyphus was forced to roll a giant boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down when he reached the top. Over and over again.

Citizens might feel like Sisyphus when they attempt to obtain public records from the insurmountable mountain that often is our state and federal government. Requestors sometimes file requests only to be told the requests for public records “aren’t specific enough,” or the requests “are too burdensome,” or they are denied without proper legal explanation. And that’s the good news. Sometimes agencies fail to respond to requests for records at all.