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June 2009 - Posts

Monday, June 29, 2009 7:27 PM

Sunshine Week going partly cloudy; to lay off lone staffer

According to recent article in the Columbia Journalism Review, the American Society of News Editors is going to lay off its sole staffer dedicated to coordinating national Sunshine Week. This is a sad day for FOI. Debra Gersh Hernandez, who is likely
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 12:14 PM

Bush policies reloaded: Obama hides visitor logs

So much for the talk of transparency. Despite a pledge to reverse secretive policies of the Bush admininstration, President Obama continues to try to keep White House visitor logs secret, denying a request from msnbc.com (see a good story on this
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, June 15, 2009 8:30 PM

Be more effective in FOI requests by understanding agency constraints

It's important for FOI users to understand officials' perspectives - it explains some of the reasons for denials and some of the animosity that can emerge in the request process. I was reading a year in review in open government laws in Washington state,
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, June 15, 2009 8:20 PM

Privacy spiral: Articles outline twisted fate of privacy laws

Check out the latest issue of The News Media & The Law, by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (available online for free), which focuses on how the Privacy Act has been twisted beyond recognition. For example, the privacy law, enacted
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Saturday, June 13, 2009 3:38 PM

AP, Knight helping FOI-based reporting survive

Kudos to The Associated Press and the Knight Foundation for efforts that will foster freedom of information through investigative journalism: In a New York Times article today, the AP announced that it will distribute to its 1,500 U.S. newspaper members
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:44 PM

NFOIC conference: secret dams, fiscal transparency, and gizmos for spreading FOI

This past weekend I was fortunate to attend the National Freedom of Information Coalition annual conference in Minneapolis. For the first time, much of the conference was recorded by video and provided online. Here are the highlights: * Detroit Free
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:29 PM

Access attorney named the nation's first federal FOIA ombudsman

Finally, we now have someone who might be able to help access requesters deal with federal agencies. The National Archives appointed longtime FOIA attorney Miriam Nisbet to be the nation's first official federal FOIA ombudsman. Nisbet has worked as an
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 1:37 PM

Bill would make detainee photos secret

Now there's specific legislation that would hide photos showing how we have abused prisoners. U.S. Sens. Graham and Lieberman have attached a secrecy bill (S.982) to legislation regarding FDA tobacco regulation (always nice how they sneak bills through
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Monday, June 08, 2009 12:10 PM

North Korea playing a dangerous game by jailing U.S. journalists

Today North Korea sentenced two U.S. journalists to 12 years of hard labor for simply doing their jobs.  Euna Lee and Laura Ling were arrested March 17 near the China-North Korea border while reporting about the trafficking of North Korean women.
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments
Thursday, June 04, 2009 1:27 PM

Post your thoughts on opening the federal government

Some interesting efforts are afoot to brainstorm ideas for increasing transparency in the federal government. The National Academy of Public Administration is hosting a Web site where you can post your ideas on increasing government transparency (http://opengov.ideascale.com/).
posted by DavidCuillier | 0 Comments