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Apply more pressure! Now that we've unmasked Senator Secrecy, also known as Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), let's help ensure the OPEN Government Act of 2007 (S.B. 849) has a fighting chance for Senate approval. SPJ urges all OPEN Government Act supporters to call Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to request that this proposed legislation be brought to the Senate floor for a vote this month. The OPEN Government Act has bipartisan support. The bill won unanimous approval from the Senate Judiciary Commitee. A similar bill was passed by a strong majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill's supporters include more than 100 civic organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Your effort will make a difference. Sen. Reid may be reached at (202) 224-5556, and Sen. McConnell may be reached at (202) 224-3135. For more information: Christine Tatum, SPJ National President 303/881-8702 | E-mail Joel Campbell, FOI Committee Chair 801/422-2125 | E-mail

The nation needs your help.
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.

Senator Secrecy:
Essential Links
— SPJ's Secret Senator Page
— Freedom of the Prez: And we have a winner! Er, Loser!
— Guardian Unlimited: Kyl Vows to Block Open Government Bill
— SPJ's Freedom of Information section
— How and why to conduct public records searches
— The U.S. DOJ Routinely Breaks FOI Law
— So How Did George W. Bush Celebrate Sunshine Week? Sorry, That's Classified
— Fight for access. Contact FOI Chairman Joel Campbell today.

Freedom of Information
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FOI FYI:
SPJ's FOI Committee Blog
• This Fourth of July celebrate FOIA's 43rd anniversary
• Sunshine Week going partly cloudy; to lay off lone staffer
• Bush policies reloaded: Obama hides visitor logs

FOI Committee
This committee is the watchdog of press freedoms across the nation. It relies upon a network of volunteers in each state organized under Project Sunshine. These SPJ members are on the front lines for assaults to the First Amendment and when lawmakers attempt to restrict the public's access to documents and the government's business. The committee often is called upon to intervene in instances where the media is restricted.

Freedom of Information Committee Chair
David Cuillier
Assistant Professor
Department of Journalism
University of Arizona
Marshall Building, Room 323
Tucson, AZ 85721-0158
Work: 520/626-9694
Fax: 520/621-7557
E-mail
Bio (click to expand) 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.

Joe Adams, vice chair
Editorial writer
The Florida Times-Union
One Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Work: 904-359-4534
Fax: 904-359-4390
E-mail
Bio (click to expand) Joe Adams is an editorial writer at The Florida Times-Union and author of The Florida Public Records Handbook published by the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee.

Eight universities in Florida have used the book as a textbook, the only one of its kind in the nation, and more than 1,000 journalists have attended his workshops on how to use public records for success. He is the recipient of the national 2007 Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award sponsored by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation and has earned two national Sunshine Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. In December 2000, Presstime magazine profiled him as one of the top 20 under 40 newspaper industry professionals to watch in the future.

As an editorial writer, Adams has received awards from the Florida Press Club, Florida Society of Newspaper Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists. His year of public records research of the Jacksonville City Council uncovered widespread open meetings abuses. The resulting work by Adams and the newsroom inspired a grand jury probe and prompted the council in 2007 to create the state's first known local ordinance to ensure better compliance with Florida's Sunshine Law. He is originator of the www.iDigAnswers.com Web site about Florida FOI news and public records use.

Adams is founder and past coordinator of Times-Union University, the Jacksonville newspaper's newsroom training program, and is also former director of the National Newspaper Diversity Job Bank on the Internet. He also taught information gathering for two years as an adjunct professor at the University of North Florida.

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