Michael Morisy

@morisy

civic transparency for a better tomorrow. founder, MuckRock. also caretaker of DocumentCloud, FOIA Machine, and many other internet friends.

2367 Siguiendo1611 Seguidores612 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y morisy.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Michael Morisy@morisy· 3d

Don't forget to pick up some Truth Gems on the way back from work.

Michael Morisy@morisy· 3d

Always a fun search to run on a government agency near you.

A google search for "not for public disclosure" site:https://www.phila.gov filetype:pdf that returns a range of interesting results.

Michael Morisy@morisy· 3d

Just noticed that the FBI stopped using DocumentCloud's viewer for the FOIA Vault they run. Even sadder: The viewer they replaced it with seems to just not work? vault.fbi.gov

An error reading " Viewer not available, please use the download button above."

Michael Morisy@morisy· 4d

Just randomly thinking about how most classic scams involve getting the mark to think they're in on some scam and peaking behind the curtain. www.bbc.com/news/article...

BBC Headline: More than 10 firms pay up to $100,000 a month for fast access to Truth Social posts

Michael Morisy@morisy· 10d

Not only am I not connected on Linked with my co-founder, we're only 3rd degree connections. Truly inspirational levels of non-onlineness.

A screenshot showing that Mitchell K. is a 3rd degree LinkedIn connection.

Michael Morisy@morisy· 19d

Don't threaten me with a good time, scammers.

A spam email threatening to cut me off from my email.

Michael Morisy@morisy· 21d

This could be us.

A picture of Gritty in an astronaut outfit walking down a hall.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Jul 10

Running low on my go-to notepad, and realizing I'm now part of a sad club of Muji mourners. Gone but not forgotten, Muji Passport Memo Notepad. 🪦💐

Screenshot of Reddit threads of people mourning the discontinuation of Muji's Passport Memo sized notepads.

Michael Morisy@morisy· May 6

It's somehow getting even worse.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Apr 30

We're just getting flooded.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Apr 30

Over the last week, our newsletter has been inundated with bots that give vague, nonsensical in context responses. Getting dozens of these a send.

An email response that reads: Thank you for contacting us. We're currently experiencing a high volume of requests. For a faster response, please try reaching out to us by (insert alternative ways to contact your support team).

Michael Morisy@morisy· Apr 22

Laughed out loud at the addendum, where LLMs "solved" one by adding a raccoon to the image and then circling in red.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Apr 8

Want to see just smol documents? Or Very Large Documents? DocumentCloud has you covered.

A screenshot showing the page_count: search in DocumentCloud, allowing you to filter by document size range.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Apr 8

Smart search filtering is back on @documentcloud.org!

A window showing a dropdown of search options in the DocumentCloud.org interface!

A dropdown showing options to sort in DocumentCloud.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Mar 15

Weather caster shares an amazing anecdote about broadcast consultants and *gestures wildly*. www.reddit.com/r/Journalism...

Reddit Post: "...but the over the top gesticulations are a big distraction."

Probably listening to the voice of the consultants. Dr. Knabb on The Weather Channel does the same thing: great weather information with nearly Olympic sized gymnastic gestures and over-shouting while his microphone tries to overcompensate for the volume. If it gets the audiences' attention, the news directors usually love it.

My last station in Memphis spent huge amounts of money on consultants. One team told me to be as described above: loud and gesture more often and to "be bold about it" while on the green screen. Took several times to get it right with them. When I did what they suggested on-air on the next newscast, my news director called me into his office afterwards to say "What the hell was that about?!" I told him I was doing exactly what the hired consultants told me to do and showed him their "cheat sheet" report card they had given me with their suggestions noted. After a few seconds of embarrassed silence, I was told: "Well, just tone it down a bit."

Michael Morisy@morisy· Mar 9

I now get 600 of these emails every day: "Just like how MuckRock Foundation empowers transparency through accessible government documents, Pacific Associates empowers financial freedom by providing strategic no-interest programs to tackle high-interest debt." I now support a 1-cent-per-email tax.

Email reading: Hi Michael,

Saw on your website that MuckRock Foundation empowers citizens with tools for government transparency.

Just like how MuckRock Foundation empowers transparency through accessible government documents, Pacific Associates empowers financial freedom by providing strategic no-interest programs to tackle high-interest debt.

Basically, we can help you lower your rates to zero, cut your monthly payments by 50%, and finish your debt within 2 to 4 years.

Open to seeing how it works?

Respectfully,

Cassandra Blakeley
Business Development
Pacific Associates | Irvine, CA

Michael Morisy@morisy· Jan 9

Apparently Harry's is diversifying into Babies-as-a-Service. No thanks, too many scents around here already.

Subject line reads: Want exclusive access to limited edition scents?

Michael Morisy@morisy· Jan 3

A long block of numbers: 5632,25645,25665,25683,25698,25732,25739,25920,25937,26000,26058,26379,26487,26604,26651,26847,26849,27061,27274,27648,27656,27894,27979,27981,27985,28061,28069,28192,28193,28197,28251,28392,28444,2879,28815,28828,28937,28938,29176,29376,29403,29435,29768,29803,29910,30089,30193,30202,30223,30249,30252,30256,30275,30276,30403,30451,30810,30896,30897,31234,31355,31394,31411,31450,31590,31741,31751,31762,31835,31874,31885,31886,31932,31957,31970,32147,32152,3232,32521,32522,32658,32741,32843,32948,32972,33227,33280,33281,33284,33307,33317,33377,33412,33476,33492,33493,33527,33529,33530,33539,33616,33639,33835,33846,34070,34333,34497,34498,34526,34625,34717,34743,34805,35037,35088,35255,35394,35445,35447,35518,35519,35664,35841,36880,37011,37147,37310,37327,37333,37481,37570,37575,37577,37578,37580,37605,37708,37853,37859,37956,37960,37962,38000,38079,38233,38542,38557,38635,38644,38645,38646,38851,39024,39025,39040,39042,39044,39047,39054,39055,39056,39062,39063,39072,39073,39074,39097,39143,39266,39322,39336,39385,39451,39616,39652,39950,39951,40012,40252,40279,40396,40398,40468,40566,40570,40600,40644,40645,411,41238,41266,41630,41894,42295,42535,42937,43039,43041,43139,43942,44523,44535,44540,44684,44823,44914,45000,45396,45758,45773,45918,45987,46028,46249,46334,46336,46417,46486,46688,46756,46758,46759,46762,46773,46856,46857,46894,46912,46973,46979,47087,47359,47512,47763,47773,47809,47852,48046,48290,48439,48765,48851,4893,49258,49260,49306,49308,49309,49578,4998,50144,50145,50172,50176,50181,50185,50192,50403,50404,50408,50409,50508,51208,51216,51444,5150,51500,51526,5155,51652,51692,51695,51717,51950,52016,52101,52201,52322,52323,52362,52394,52702,52721,52749,52903,53039,53241,53457,53518,53524,53573,53843,53851,53874,54630,54652,55069,55670,55705,55732,56141,56264,56532,56725,56736,56757,56758,56897,56898,57031,5713,57287,57512,57513,57514,57552,57605,58183,58201,58206,58331,58397,58454,58731,58732,59056,59060,59493,59494,59550,59670…

Michael Morisy@morisy· Dec 30

Wee ... I've got 2,343 new exemptions to somehow clean up and consolidate with the 1,459 other exemptions I already had.

A long list of exemptions to public records law:
Missouri Section 610.021(1) RSMo
Missouri Section 610.021(13) RSMo
Missouri Section 610.021(2)
Missouri Section 610.021(3)
Missouri Section 610.021(3) RSMo
Missouri Section 610.022
Missouri Sections 217.075(3) RSMo
Missouri Vague or Not Reasonably Described
Missouri attorney work product
Missouri privileged or is otherwise protected by law
Missouri section 217.075.1(1)
Missouri § 610.021(1)
Missouri § 610.021(3)
Montana 43 C.F.R. § 2.51(c)
Montana 43 C.F.R. § 2.6(c)
Montana 43 CFR 2.5(d)
Montana Confidential Criminal Justice Information
Montana FC23-2175
Montana MCA § 3-15-402
Montana Materials Publicly Available
Montana McBurney, et al. v. Young, et al., 133 1709, 1716 (2013)
Montana Montana Code Annotated 2-6-102
Montana Montana Code Annotated § 44-5-103(13)
Montana Montana's Constitution, Article II, § 9
Montana No Responsive Documents
Montana Not Applicable
Montana Requester Non-Responsive
Montana Section 2-6-1002(1)(a)
Montana Section 2-6-1002(1)(b)
Montana Section 3-15-402, MCA
Montana Title 2, Chapter 6 of Montana Code Annotated

Michael Morisy@morisy· Dec 28

A full-time, dedicated public records officer wrote the following sentence. I'm worried they had a stroke mid-way through? What? "The materials responsive to your request are exempt from disclosure as, among other classifications, security." The materials are "security"??

The materials responsive to your request are exempt from disclosure as, among other classifications, security.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Dec 20

Reddit Ads are simultaneously completely unhinged and perfectly targeted.

A Reddit ad asking if you love “raccoon management sims” and suggesting one to buy.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Dec 10

A university Board of Trustees unanimously running head first into an agreement with private equity over college athletics. This will turn out great for some people, but long term I have a hard time seeing that being the university community. via @danprimack.bsky.social www.axios.com/newsletters/...

Private equity is becoming part of college sports, after several stalled attempts.

Driving the news: The University of Utah's board of trustees yesterday unanimously approved the creation of a for-profit company in partnership with Otro Capital, a New York-based firm formed in 2023 by RedBird Capital Partners alumni.

It will be called Utah Brands & Entertainment, once the legal paperwork is completed, and will manage a variety of UU athletic operations — including media, hospitality, licensing, and finance.
Otro is cornerstone equity investor, albeit with a minority stake, and would receive a percentage of annual revenue. Major UU donors also are expected to participate, with total investment expected to approach $500 million.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Oct 22

We need your help! Please take the public records Transparency Alliance survey: forms.gle/mR7FM6LJuBJg...

Michael Morisy@morisy· Oct 16

Don‘t glaze me, Bro.

An idiotic email pitch on how great I am using AI sycophancy in order to try to sell something. Representative sample:

You’ve already proven excellence. Now it’s about compounding it as a founder. At TopLeads, we help A-Grade founders build outbound systems that run like infra, not hustle:
→ 600 sends/day
→ 8–15 qualified replies/month
→ $2.1K setup | <$200/month to run

Michael Morisy@morisy· Sep 24

Some Nextar station staff feeling hung out to dry. www.reddit.com/r/Journalism...

Reddit Post Screenshot Reading:
Nexstar told stations we wouldn’t run Kimmel tonight, but they didn’t bother to pull the ABC ads which said, “Hey, Kimmel is back on!”

We are already producing long newscasts to fill the gap. By the way, no direct word from higher-ups. No company-wide email, just trickled-down half-communications to station managers and news directors. I’d bet they’ll get mad about all the overtime we’re running for this.

Our in and out times have been insane, and there has been no guidance to the production side. Hell, half of them today weren’t even informed about the extended newscasts when they began.

Aside from all the absolute BS regarding the FCC, this makes me just want to walk away. This has been the worst past week I’ve ever had in my career. How am I supposed to justify myself as a responsible journalist when I’m being told not to run stories about the BIGGEST story of the day? How am I supposed to justify myself when all I can tell people is “it wasn’t our choice”?

Emails, phone calls during the show (which I answer if I can catch them), Facebook comments, people angry and under the belief that yes it is indeed our local station’s choice for this crap.

We complain to our ND, who is telling the station manager about our complaints, and that’s where it just stops. Our corporate overlords don’t give a shit about us, and while I’ve known that a long time, it’s becoming harder to look away from.

I’ve never felt this disheartened in a news job before. I love my job, and I love my community, but with the Kimmel mess, I wonder if it’s even worth it.

Anyways, thanks for letting me complain. Fruitful and good news days to all who read.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Sep 20

Google has certified me to be an acceptable purveyor of government documents.

Hi,
Thank you for applying to be certified to be excluded from the Government documents and services policy. We’re pleased to inform you that you’ve been approved and the appropriate certificate has been applied to your account for CID(s) 763-756-3007 and the domain(s) you submitted.
You will now be able to run ads on keywords related to government documents and services.
We thank you for your cooperation in completing the Government documents and services certification process.
Thanks for advertising with Google,
gTech Customer Experience

Michael Morisy@morisy· Sep 19

Interesting. Google has a new policy around advertising government documents on their ad network.

To run ads for government documents and services, advertisers must be certified by Google. To determine whether you're impacted by this policy, review our comprehensive list E of all categories of government documents and services in scope of the policy.
• Note that several categories have regional or business exclusions and if you believe you qualify for one of these policy exclusions, you also need to be certified by Google.
• If you have been impacted by this policy and do not promote government documents and services, you can apply for your impacted ads to be excluded from the scope of the policy.
To successfully complete certification for any of the following options under this policy, advertisers must also complete Google's advertiser verification program . See Step 2 from the policy [ for how to complete this program.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Sep 16

Hadn't even thought about the intersection of cell phones/technology in schools & sports gambling at school but in retrospect, I am 100% sure my middle & high school cohort would have been overrun by it. schooledbymikepetrilli.substack.com/p/schools-bu...

In fact, cellphone bans are not enough. We also need to curtail the Chromebooks and most other classroom tech. A Chromebook—or especially a Macbook—can easily serve as a big-old phone, allowing kids to cheat, text, and even gamble on sports (happening at my kids’ high school, I hear!) instead of listening to their teacher.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Sep 11

This is why they don't let me touch the code base.

A Mac finder window showing a 110MB HTML file, which is way too much HTML for one file.

Michael Morisy@morisy· Aug 7

Aliens/HR Geiger-inspired cocktail menu. cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...