The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found the FBI erred in not searching thoroughly for documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) related to its practice of using agents to post as journalists to snare criminals. (Courthouse News Service, December 18, 2017, by Eva Fedderly)
The case arose from a 2014 report by the Seattle Times that the FBI impersonated an Associated Press reporter to submit a fake news article booby-trapped with surveillance software. (FindLaw, December 18, 2017, by William Vogeler, Esq.)
The Reporters Committee and Associated Press had initiated the FOIA request out of concern that the government was undermining the credibility of the press making it more difficult for sources to trust reporters. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, December 15, 2017, press release)