Journalism organizations, schools and libraries plan a week-long campaign to push harder for access to government.
Beginning March 13, news outlets will run stories, editorials and cartoons urging greater access to government information. The effort has been dubbed “Sunshine Week.”
“From city hall to Congress, and from police chiefs’ offices to the attorney general’s office, the trend toward secrecy is unmistakable,” said Tom Curley, president and CEO of The Associated Press, the world ’s largest newsgathering organization.
“The most important thing from our standpoint, of course, is to connect what we do to the public interest, and to line up with the people and remind them how important it is that they get access to what their elected representatives are doing. “
The project, joined by more than 50 news outlets, journalism groups, universities and the American Library Association, was inspired by a campaign in Florida during which newspapers across the state have run editorials, op-ed columns, cartoons and stories about the importance of government openness.
In October 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft changed federal FOI policy by requiring agencies to carefully consider national security, effective law enforcement and personal privacy before releasing information.
Ashcroft cited security concerns in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks as the reason for the changes to open government laws.
Andy Alexander, chairman of the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Freedom of Information Committee, said Ashcroft’s order turned “the basic concept of open government on its head. “
“It used to be the presumption was that information would be public unless the government could show a compelling reason that it should remain secret,” Alexander said. “And Attorney General Ashcroft’s directive basically turned that upside down and put the onus on citizens to show that they needed the information. “
The Justice Department denies that Ashcroft’s order was aimed at limiting the public’s access to information. “Rather, it reflects a change in FOIA policy that is largely a matter of emphasis and tone. “
The American Society of Newspaper Editors is leading the “sunshine week” effort. ASNE and the Radio-Television News Directors Association were awarded grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to launch the effort.
— Information provided by the AP