Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

I’m Lauren Harper, the first Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), and welcome to “The Classifieds.” Read on to see if we are learning the right lessons from the latest release of records related to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and more of this week’s top secrecy news stories.

JFK release highlights inept declassification process

Much has already been written about the Trump administration’s latest release of JFK assassination records. The National Security Archive, a nonprofit where I used to work, has an excellent, substantive summary of what new secrets have been revealed.

I can’t do a better job discussing the records themselves than the Archive’s historians, but I can comment on the declassification process.

ABC reports that Justice Department lawyers had to scramble to re-review the 60-year-old records to comply with President Donald Trump’s order, even though the FBI had already reviewed them for declassification. Multiple agencies wanting to review historical records before they are released is a systemic problem that is both wasteful and inefficient. It also doesn’t ensure a high-quality review process, as demonstrated by the following point.

The government exposed hundreds of social security numbers in its release. Some might say this shows multiple reviews are necessary, or that we should avoid large-scale declassification projects going forward.

Not so.

Social security numbers are among the easiest things to automatically redact using machine learning tools. The CIA and FBI certainly have access to such basic tools, and the National Archives and Records Administration, which posted the records, likely does as well.

The question should be why these tools weren’t used.

Is the answer that NARA does not have the technology necessary to meet its declassification mission, or was this chaotic, rushed effort made worse by the recent, unwarranted firing of the archivist of the United States? The archivist was replaced by Marco Rubio, who runs two other agencies and doesn’t have the bandwidth to properly run NARA in addition to his other responsibilities.

The Trump administration proved it could effectively oversee large scale declassification projects during its first term with the Argentina declassification project. There’s no reason it can’t complete ambitious declassification projects that don’t release personal information. But to do so, it will need to invest in professional declassification staff and technology.

FOIA reporting should be free

Wired announced that it will be dropping its paywall for articles that are primarily based on responses to public records requests. This excellent move, announced during Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of the public’s right to know, helps address an existential problem: misinformation is free, while professional journalism is not. Wired joins 404 Media in championing this practice, and other media outlets should follow suit.

Is DOGE gutting FOIA offices?

This is one of the most pressing transparency questions concerning DOGE. It’s already been reported that the FOIA offices at the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Agency for International Development were cut or shrunk after DOGE entered the agencies, and it’s a realistic concern that this trend may continue across the government. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Jerry Connolly, whose committee conducts FOIA oversight, sent a letter to agency heads reminding them of their statutory obligations under FOIA, demanding to know how many full time FOIA officials their agency staffed, and how many of those positions might be subject to DOGE-required reductions in force. Connolly demands answers by April 3, 2025. I’ll be watching for responses, as well as any directives from the Trump administration instructing agencies not to respond to congressional requests from minority staff (again).

Ask me anything on DOGE secrecy

I recently took part in a Reddit “Ask me anything” session to answer questions about the Department of Government Efficiency’s transparency practices (or lack thereof). You can read the entire Q&A on Reddit, or you can read the highlights on our website.

What I’m reading

DEA insiders warned about legality of phone tracking program. Their concerns were kept secret (The Intercept). The Trump administration has released new portions of a 2019 Justice Department inspector general report showing that Drug Enforcement Administration officials had “major” concerns about the agency’s bulk data collection program, Hemisphere. Matt Sledge notes that while the release is a step toward transparency, it’s not clear that the Trump administration “will follow through with reforms.”

DOGE plays hardball in U.S. Institute of Peace takeover (The Washington Post). DOGE’s takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace appears unprecedented in its aggression. It’s a good time to issue a reminder that even though USIP is not an agency in the typical sense, it is obligated to respond to FOIA requests for as long as it exists (although its FOIA site is now down).

Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

Transparently yours,

Lauren Harper

Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy
Freedom of the Press Foundation