November 12, 2015

The Society of Professional Journalists and other journalism and open government organizations have been working for some time for a more open and transparent government, less interference from PIOs and greater media access to federal agency personnel so that important information can be relayed to the American people. As many of you know, SPJ and more than 50 other groups have written letters over the past few years to President Obama, who promised greater transparency in his administration.

We have some good news to share: White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has agreed to take a meeting to discuss press access with a small group of SPJ and Society of Environmental Journalists representatives the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec. 15.

An agenda and goals are currently being developed for this meeting. We view the meeting as one more step in a long battle. Policy change and a more open government are what we hope to achieve by sharing our concerns with Mr. Earnest and others in the White House.

This, of course, would not be possible if it weren’t for these organizations’ unwavering support and advocacy efforts. We will make the most of this opportunity, representing all of the journalism organizations that signed on to the letters of July 2014 and August 2015. This is proof that when we all work together and are persistent, people do listen and (hopefully) changes can be made for the better.

We will keep you informed of any developments before the meeting, and will report back to you after the meeting. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks again to all of the organizations for their partnership.

Sincerely,

Paul Fletcher, SPJ National President
Dave Cuillier, SPJ Past President
Kathryn Foxhall, SPJ Freedom of Information Committee member
Beth Parke, SEJ Executive Director