10.Freedom of Information Act

 

Freedom of Information Act 

       In 1966, the Freedom of Information Act was created, providing the public the ability to request access to records from any federal agency. The act was first brought about by John Moss, who was elected to congress in 1952 during the Cold War. It is important to note that the Cold War brought about an era of secrecy amongst the government. Moss began campaigning for government transparency after several thousand federal employees were accused of being communists are fired during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. When Moss asked the administration to view the records concerning the dismissals the administration refused. Moss went to the American people and soon many were on his side. Moss stated "The present trend toward government secrecy could end in a dictatorship. The more information that is made available, the greater will be the nation's security." It took Moss more than a decade to rally enough support in Congress to pass the Freedom of Information Act. But, on July 4, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill and a year later it went into effect. 

    The Freedom of Information Act provides journalists with a powerful tool to uncover information while also making it easier for them to hold the government accountable. Through the Freedom of Information Act a journalist can make request to obtain records from agencies such as police departments or the FBI and even records from private businesses and organizations. According to CPI Journalism  Journalist, and just about anyone else for that matter, can use the Freedom of Information Act to gain knowledge on: 

• "Policies and procedures of government agencies 
• Reports, studies and data gathered by government agencies 
• Records related to government contracts 
• Internal investigations into government activities 
• Records on public officials 
• Records regarding the use of taxpayer money 
• Records of public hearings, meetings, and conferences"

However, there are some drawbacks and criticisms for the Freedom of Information Act. Some examples of include agencies missing the 20-day deadline which often leads to lawsuits in order to force the agency to quickly hand over documents. Some agencies are unable to handle the thousands of requests they have annually due to understaffing and funding issues. A study conducted by The Washington Post  where out of 339 active FOIA lawsuits at least 26 cases agencies blamed staffing shortages for delays. There have also been claims made that documents are over-redacted, or a request is denied due to one of the exemptions. 

    A recent case involving the Freedom of Information Act and how local agencies are not complying comes from Richmond Virginia where the city quoted The Richmonder  $5,732.40 to provide the information they had requested. However, document requested are usually free of charge. The Richmonder filed a request for a copy of the city of Richmond latest yearly payment register. The Richmonder asked for the documents after financial data showing the public how tax dollars are spent was not posted and the City Council couldn't get the information either. Richmond's own laws require that this information be posted to the public. While this case is still on going and the Richmonder along with other government officials are fighting to have the documents released the City of Richmond has won an award. However, it is not that great of an award, Richmond received a "City of Darkness Award" the award was given by the Muckrock and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which hand out "Foilies" awards that "recognize the worst in government transparency." 

In conclusion, while the Freedom of Information Act does have it downfalls it does have a history of exposing the truth hidden in government documents. For example, it was discovered that in 1961 a hydrogen bomb almost detonated over North Carolina, in the 80's activists learned that the Environmental Protection Agency knew that dioxin was finding its way into rivers because of paper mills. In 2016, it was discovered that a major American supplier of parmesan cheese was wood pulp instead of parmesan. With the Freedom of Information act comes the good, the bad, and the ugly however, it is a vital tool that journalist can use to uncover the truth.