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Start the weekend right with SPJ Leads! Latest issue:
Counting Subpeonas, 3 New Chapters and a Birthday
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On April 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the Open Government Act, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill would strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act, which is one of the most powerful tools Americans have to supervise the inner workings of government. More than 100 organizations support the bill, which would reduce delays in releasing government records and hold public officials accountable when they break the law. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a similar measure in March — but that bill was blocked from reaching the Senate floor for a May 24 vote because an unknown senator placed a secret hold on the bill. A secret hold. On a bill that would help the public have greater access to public information. Think about that for a minute. We need your help to identify the ridiculous political antics of a senator who thinks we aren't paying attention — a senator who thinks his or her interests are more important than yours. With one quick phone call and e-mail, you can help us unmask Senator Secrecy. This is not the first time a secret hold has been used to prevent open government legislation from reaching the floor. In August 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) put a hold on a bill to create a searchable public database of all federal grants and contracts. Stevens' role was revealed only after online public advocates and journalists forced senators to go on the record about whether they placed the hold. And that’s what we want to do right now: get everyone on the record and find out who Senator Secrecy is.
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Senator Secrecy: |
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David Cuillier, a former newspaper reporter and editor, is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of Arizona. He researches public attitudes toward freedom of information and is one of the SPJ newsroom trainers for acquiring government documents.
