The Trump secrecy assessment
The U.S. classifies far too many secrets, obstructing democracy.
Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, from agencies needlessly claiming documents are classified to ignoring information requests and destroying records — even when the documents show government fraud or illegal conduct. This hinders a free press, effective oversight, and the public’s ability to self govern.
We need to fight for systemic improvements, and we need the press to vigorously question the government every time it says something is classified.
Featured Items
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Revealed: The 95 FOIA Requests Flagged for Pentagon Approval
A few weeks ago, the nonpartisan organization Cause of Action posted a story on its website about a secret Pentagon policy that calls for certain Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that may generate media attention to first be approved by the Pentagon. Naturally, I was eager to find out …
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Guantanamo’s Indefinite Prisoners Will Finally Have Cases Reviewed Just as Senate Committee Set to Hold Hearing On Closing Prison
Attorneys representing Guantanamo prisoners were notified by a government official late Friday night that the men who the Obama administration has determined can neither be prosecuted nor released will finally have their cases reviewed to determine whether they should still be indefinitely detained. In an email I obtained, retired Navy …
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Government: Halting Guantanamo Prisoner Genital Searches Will Cause “Irreparable Harm”
The Justice Department has asked a federal court judge to put an order he issued last week on hold that barred Guantanamo guards from conducting the “abhorrent” and “humiliating” procedure of searching prisoners’ genitals when they leave their cells to meet with attorneys and return to the prison camp. In …
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EXCLUSIVE: Guantanamo in New Attorney-Client Mail Controversy in Aftermath of Raid
Guantanamo officials don’t know who are the rightful owners of thousands of pages of legal documents and other materials seized from prisoners during a raid at the communal camp in April, according to a government document I obtained. A Justice Department attorney said in a draft seven-page court filing dated …
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On David Gregory and Standing Up For Journalists' Constitutional Rights
UPDATE: New York Times journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin bizarrely claimed today that'd he "almost arrest" Greenwald as well. As usual, it's almost instantly clear that when journalist X says "prosecute journalist Y," journalist X can be prosecuted under the same or very similar theories. Meet the Press host David Gregory …
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Bradley Manning’s Defense Supports Crowd-Funded Stenographers’ Presence at Trial
This article is cross-posted from FireDogLake. The defense for Pfc. Bradley Manning indicated in a military court that ensuring crowd-funded stenographers had access to create an unofficial transcript of the trial, which would be made available to media outlets around the world, was something they supported. “We believe that …
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Despite Government Obstacles, Publicly-Funded Stenographers Will Transcribe the Bradley Manning Trial
UPDATE: The transcript from day one of the Bradley Manning trial has been posted and can be found here. In the last month, the Freedom of the Press Foundation has been engaged in a whirlwind fundraising campaign to raise money to have professional stenographers provide daily transcripts of the …
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New Report Says Obama Faces Numerous Legal Hurdles Over Guantanamo Closure
A new report issued by the nonpartisan research arm of Congress says President Obama will face significant legal challenges in attempting to shutter the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, where more than 100 prisoners have been waging a hunger strike since February. The 59-page report, dated May 30, was issued by …
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Coalition of Twenty Major Media Organizations Ask Manning Judge To Provide Court Access to Public Stenographer
UPDATE: We've recieved word that the judge has ruled that the professional court stenographer CAN transcribe the trial from the media room using a stenography machine. This is great news. However, we are still without press passes, and the military media desk has yet to respond to our request to …
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Crowd-funded Stenographers Denied Press Passes to the Bradley Manning Court Martial
About a month ago, Freedom of the Press Foundation launched a campaign to crowd-fund a court stenographer to provide transcripts of the unclassified portions of the Bradley Manning court martial, given that the military refuses to release transcripts of their own. On Thursday, we learned that all three of our …
