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International Law

: Open and Shut

Sunshine Week and the never-ending story

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It's Sunshine Week in the US, again leaving those here who would like to see media organisations really step up to the plate on the public's right to know and why it's important, green with envy at the resources, professionalism and wide scope of and support for the initiative. The unfortunate news is the poll published there today that shows the public thinks government secrecy is as strong as ever.

The National Security Archive has also published the result of an audit of agency compliance with President Obama's directive on openness.

The Obama administration "has clearly stated a new policy direction for open government but has not conquered the challenge of communicating and enforcing that message throughout the executive branch," the report concluded.

Those here faced with the same challenge should note what appears to have happened when the writtten directives were issued last year by the President and Attorney General to agencies to do things differently:

Some agencies (13 out of 90) implemented concrete changes in practice as a result of the memos; some (14 out of 90) have made changes in staff training; and still others (11 out of 90) have merely circulated and discussed the memos. The remaining agencies (52) either told the Archive that they have no records that demonstrate how they implemented the Obama and Holder Memos or did not respond at all to the FOIA request.

Full post as published by Open and Shut on March 14, 2010 (boomark / email).