"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government." - Barack Obama in a memo to the heads of Departments and Agencies.
Professor Jason Ross Arnold of Virginia Commonwealth in an article that appeared in the Washington Post said
Nevertheless, many in the media - including the liberal media - would disagree with Professor Arnold's position. The New York Times pointed out
The Wall Street Journal ran an article declaring the Obama Administration "The Least Transparent Administration" and talked about how the Administration stymies information requests. http://tinyurl.com/j9olm42
The Fiscal Times ran a headline saying "Obama's Transparency Promise became a big fat lie" because the Obama Administration exempted key areas of the Administration from having to comply with transparency rules. http://tinyurl.com/jpcezwd
Then there was the Associated Press who earlier this year declared that the Obama Administration "more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act."
From the stories above, including the one by Professor Arnold, the record seems to show that the Obama Administration has fallen well short of President Obama's promises. Furthermore, the pattern of which records are not released suggests the Administration particularly withholds information to protect itself. One hopes the next Administration will release the records being hidden to allow the American public to learn the truth about the last 7 years.
So what happened?
Taken together, [the Administration's] record suggests progress toward transparency, but it arguably falls short of what Obama promised.An interesting statement as his article provided a paragraph or so in support and then offered a lengthy list of examples suggesting just the opposite. That article can be found here. http://tinyurl.com/qbog7sl
Nevertheless, many in the media - including the liberal media - would disagree with Professor Arnold's position. The New York Times pointed out
at least 20 investigations across the government that have been slowed, stymied or sometimes closed because of a long-simmering dispute between the Obama administration and its own watchdogs over the shrinking access of inspectors general to confidential records, according to records and interviews.The Times said the Obama policy threatens to "roll back three decades of policy to give government watchdogs unfettered access" to government records when conducting investigations. http://tinyurl.com/hk822qq
The Wall Street Journal ran an article declaring the Obama Administration "The Least Transparent Administration" and talked about how the Administration stymies information requests. http://tinyurl.com/j9olm42
The Fiscal Times ran a headline saying "Obama's Transparency Promise became a big fat lie" because the Obama Administration exempted key areas of the Administration from having to comply with transparency rules. http://tinyurl.com/jpcezwd
Then there was the Associated Press who earlier this year declared that the Obama Administration "more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act."
From the stories above, including the one by Professor Arnold, the record seems to show that the Obama Administration has fallen well short of President Obama's promises. Furthermore, the pattern of which records are not released suggests the Administration particularly withholds information to protect itself. One hopes the next Administration will release the records being hidden to allow the American public to learn the truth about the last 7 years.
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