Biden’s legacy: Leaving FOIA in shambles

AP Illustration
The Freedom of Information Act gives the public a right to access government records.
The Freedom of Information Act is supposed to shed light on government activity by giving journalists and the public access to government records. But the law is in shambles. From endless delays in response time and unjustified refusals to ridiculously overbroad redactions, FOIA is plagued with problems.
We must fight back against the government’s refusal to comply with FOIA and urge Congress to reform the law and end backlogs of requests, reduce the number of exemptions, and overturn damaging court decisions.
Funding local news may be the best response if officials continue to yank contracts in response to critical news coverage
New Jersey lawmakers shouldn’t use a lame-duck session to gut the state’s public records law
Journalists and the public need to know officers’ identities to hold them accountable for their official actions
The Community News and Small Business Support Act would use tax credits to improve local news’s financial outlook
Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall backs efforts to reform the government secrecy system, while honoring the late Daniel Ellsberg
Denying the press and public access to records isn’t the right way to protect academic freedom
A new decision from Pennsylvania unnecessarily complicates the public’s right to know about government business conducted on social media
We will honor our friend by fighting for what he fought for his entire life: an end to excessive government secrecy.
Protect press and public access to private jet flight data
Agencies are increasingly emboldened to preempt records requests with closure rules