Opinion roundup: FOIA reform a victory for public

Here are excerpts and links from editorials around the nation.
See the Palm Beach Post

"By signing the well-crafted legislation into law, President Bush can help the White House show good faith toward stemming the tide of unwarranted government secrecy. There are citizens who may not care about the workings of their government. That's different from government officials not wanting the public to know, or, worse, not letting them."

See the Pantagraph

"In addition to upholding the American public's right to know, the congressional action sends a strong signal to other countries about American ideals and the importance of openness in a democracy."

See the Hartford Courant

The Bush administration, whose penchant for secrecy is probably the best-known secret in Washington, has opposed this measure in its earlier incarnations. This time, it's expected to pass. We thank Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas for championing a measure whose common-sense reforms will ease the flow of information into the public arena, where it belongs.

See the St. Louis Post Dispatch Editorial

\Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., one of the key sponsors of the bill, put it nicely: "Nothing undermines public confidence in our government as much as obstruction and obsessive secrecy. The legislation substantially strengthens the Freedom of Information Act by reaffirming the idea that the United States government belongs to the people, and whenever possible, we should err on the side of full disclosure of information."


See the editorial in Florida Today

Democracy thrives in the open, when the free flow of information allows citizens to know what their government is doing. It withers and dies in the darkness, when politicians and bureaucrats operate in secret and strangle the openness that's necessary to keep the powerful in check.

See the New York Times

The very title of a now 41-year-old law — the Freedom of Information Act — sounds naïve in today’s Washington, where government secrecy has become an even higher and darker art under the Bush administration.

Read the Longview, (Wash.) Daily News
A long-awaited update of the federal Freedom of Information Act is nearing completion. On Tuesday, Congress gave final approval to legislation that promises to make this 40-year-old law an even more effective tool for citizens seeking access to government records. President Bush is expected to either sign the legislation or allow it to become law in 10 days without his signature.