FOI News from the Associated Press

Disclosure—or the lack of it—is a root cause of the current financial crisis

Economists and historians will be debating for years the causes of the financial crisis that, like a global array of dominoes, now threatens to take down the "real" economies of countries big and small, both "developed" and "emerging," in a massive flight from investment risk unlike anything experienced since 1929. To the experts' lists of causes, let me add a lack of information—specifically, the systemic failure of lenders to disclose ample information about the risks of the mortgage loans being made to thousands of borrowers whose homes have since tanked in value, resulting in unprecedented rates of default. These defaults leave the holders of the affected mortgage investments—primarily banks around the world—with sizeable loan portfolios that they can't value and for which there is no functioning market.

UF Citizen Access Project names doctoral student as interim director

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The University of Florida Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project has named a College of Journalism and Communications media law doctoral student as its interim director. Mark R. Caramanica replaces the project's founding director, Bill F. Chamberlin, who retired in June. "We're very fortunate to have someone of Mark's background and ability to provide leadership within the project," Dean John Wright said. "Mark will keep the project moving forward as we conduct a search to fill the permanent position."

Secrecy Report Card for 2008

The 2008 Secrecy Report Card, from OpenTheGovernment.org has been released, and the results are not pretty. This is the fifth annual report assessing trends in public access to information. This year's report is expanded to cover Mandatory Declassification Review numbers and progress under the Automatic Declassification Review process, and covers legislation in the 110th Congress that would increase openness and accountability. The report also contains updated numbers on requests for National Security Letters, competitiveness of federal contracting, and use of the "state secrets" privilege.

Groups oppose secrecy in bailout

OpenTheGovernment.org, NFOIC and over 50 open government organizations and advocates wrote to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services to oppose provisions of the financial industry bail out plan that would make any decisions by the Secretary of the Treasury non-reviewable by courts or administrative agencies. Further, public contracts associated with the proposal could be created outside of existing laws normally governing such actions.

Right to Know Day

While over 100 countries have right to information laws, the level of cooperation with right to know requests varies wildly. In the United States, concerns about terrorism have led to more and more obstructions and delays in granting freedom of information requests. But Charles Davis, head of the Freedom of Information Centre at the Missouri School of Journalism thinks the war on terrorism has actually led to more scrutin.

FOIA survey: FDA's slow response means stories go unpublished

COLUMBIA, Mo. - More than two-thirds of health care reporters taking part in a First Amendment survey have had stories held or left unpublished because the Food and Drug Administration did not respond to FOIA requests in a timely manner. Only a third of reporters said they received a response within the required 20 days called for in the federal Freedom of Information Act. Many waited months or years—or never received requested data, according to the survey and analysis conducted for the Association of Health Care Journalists by graduate students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

More people see federal government as secretive

WASHINGTON - Three-quarters of American adults view the federal government as secretive, and nearly nine in 10 say it's important to know presidential and congressional candidates' positions on open government when deciding who to vote for, according to a Sunshine Week survey by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. The survey shows a significant increase over the past three years in the percentage of Americans who believe the federal government is very or somewhat secretive, from 62 percent of those surveyed in 2006 to 74 percent in 2008.

Ex-reporter involved in sources dispute to speak at NFOIC summit

PHILADELPHIA -- A former USA Today reporter held in contempt for not revealing her sources for stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks will give the keynote address at the annual meeting May 9-10 of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. Toni Locy had been ordered by a federal judge to pay fines of up to $5,000 for each day she refuses to reveal her confidential sources, but a federal appeals court earlier this week blocked the order.

Minnesotans reflect on living in digital days

"Afloat in the wireless pond" is the whimsical theme of a unique conference set for Saturday, March 1, in St. Paul. Strategically scheduled just after 2008Õs Leap Day, the conference offers a constructive use for that extra time, a convenient venue and an invitation to Minnesotans to spend some serious time reflecting on "living in digital days."

Sunshine Week 2008

In the United States, "Freedom of Information Day" is celebrated annually on March 16 (James Madison's birthday) or proximate business day, at the beginning of what is now known as "Sunshine Week." This program is the first annual celebration of Freedom of Information Day by WCL's new Collaboration on Government Secrecy ("CGS"), and this year it helps launch the "Sunshine Week" (March 17-21) of related activities by media and public interest groups.

FOIA budget sign-on letter going out

Worse than what we were warned last week, the proposed budget from the Bush Administration seeks to repeal Section 10 (Section H in the US Code text) of the OPEN Government Act and relocate the newly-established Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to the Department of Justice.

OMB Watch launches survey to find best open government questions for candidates

Elections are the time when politicians pay the most attention to people and issues, and therefore the best time to ask them questions about how they plan to govern. OMB Watch wants your help in figuring out the best questions on government transparency that can be put to the candidates.

States failing FOI responsiveness

Freedom of information laws are only as good as the response mechanisms built into the laws themselves. After all, if citizens can't take action to enforce their right of access shy of filing suit, what good are FOI laws? When it comes to responsiveness measures, not much good at all. The Better Government Association and the National Freedom of Information Coalition have united to review the recourse afforded citizens in the public records laws of all 50 states, and the conclusions make for some relentlessly depressing reading. The tools available to citizens to enforce their rights under state FOI laws are, with rare exceptions, endemically weak.