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Using the FOIA
mgaiman writes "Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, spoke at my school today. She discussed the state of journalism in the post-9/11 world. She said, among other things, that this administration is the most closed she has seen since Nixon. The organization itself is a non-profit journalist rights group. Their site features such things as Homefront Confidential, a chronicling of changes to the openness of information since 9/11, and a guide to using the Federal FOI Act to get access to information. While most /.ers aren't journalists, I thought it would be of interest nonetheless."
Basically, whenever you try to get information, you have to fill out paperwork. They can reject the application if the paperwork is filled incorrectly. Then, you have to get past secretaries, whose primary job seems to be annoying people until they give up.
Once you've actually got your paperwork into the system, you have to wait for it to be processed. Usually, at this point, they'll decide that more paper is required, and you have to start again from the beginning.
Once you get the information you asked for, you'll usually find out that it isn't the information you want. Unless you're very specific when specifying what you want to know, they can get out of it by simply playing stupid. (eg only get partial documents because you asked for Form A, but to actually use the information you also need Form A-2, which you didn't ask for).
I'm sure it's possible to get information, but don't expect to get it in any reasonable time frame.
I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
I find this type of claim more than a bit disingenuous. What she might be complaining about is that her job is harder to do with this administration. Gee - someone who can keep a secret in Washington. What a novel concept!
Now there is no doubt that things have tightened up since 9-11, but they have too! We're technically at war with Al Qaeda (forget Iraq for the moment.) Ever seen the posters in the WWII movies - "Loose lips sink ships?" There IS something to the whole idea.
Have you compiled your kernel today??
One of the interesting uses of FOIA that I have seen has been the release of VistA, the software that runs the hospitals for the department of Veterans Affairs.
VistA is a huge suite of programs, and something that would not normally otherwise make it into the public domain. Billions of dollars of investment have gone into this, and there is hope that it can be used more widely.
VistA is written in "M" (sometimes called "Mumps" and with the GPL of the Linux version of GT.M, a compiler and database server for "M" by Sanchez, the whole shooting match is doable on an open-source platform.
More information about VistA hardhats.org and sourceforge and VistA Documentation Library
The level of functionality available from this project is incredible, and in some areas is unmatched by commercial offerings costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
There were 3000 Americans killed on American soil. To expect things to remain "like they were" is not going to happen. After Pearl Harbor, Japanese in American were rounded up into camps. That's not going to happen in this instance (nor should it,) but we can't stick our heads in the sand either and just hope it will all go away. Besides, people like this "journalist" seem to have ulterior motives all the time anyway. I wonder how much gnashing of teeth there would be if those 3000 dead were the creme-de-la-creme of the Hollywood elite? BC
I see a couple different weblog style sections of their page, but can't seem to find any XML/RSS feeds. It'd be super-useful if they made such available so that folks could keep up to date on their news stories without having to visit them every day. ;-)
You must have meant:
"Even though Slashdot isn't journalism, we thought it might be interesting"
sheep would vote for bush??? I mean, theyre slow and all, but there are limits?
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
How many times have thousands of American civilians been killed sitting in their offices in the middle of an American city by terrorists plowing into them with jumbo jets since Nixon?
This woman is just some fucking socialist crazy liberal bitch. I'm sure the thinks Carter and Clinton are gods.
I understand the press' position, they are used to constant gushing leaks. 'Test Baloons' are a great way to take a position without taking a position.
This administration hasn't done that.
Timing is everything, to point:
If indeed the white house has the skinny on Iraq's weapons program, had they released the info at the start of inspections it could be dismissed with "We already knew that". Instead, assuming they do have a card up their sleeve, they can now say "You think we're overreacting, what about X!?"
The practice of politics is in general deplorable, but since every country does it it is nice to see your guy do it better.
.sig Karma out the wazoo, better to spend points elsewhere if this is above 2 or below 0
Anyone that posts to Slashdot is a journalist. Slashdot is a journal, and is a record of the thoughts and feelings of more than one generation of nerds. The idea that only someone that works for a commercial newspaper or magazine can wear the journalist hat needs to be fought at every opportunity.
From replies, I can see that almost nobody understands the concept of freedom of information. It's actually quite simple, altough mind-boggling for some.
What it means, in short, is that all information generates or kept by the government is public, to be supplied to anyone who asks. No ifs or ands, (altough a single but).
The "but" is: The governmente can refuse to supply some information on several grounds, all of which are clearly stated in the law.
In other words, the burden of proof is on them to show that they can't give you the information because it's forbidden by law. Not the other way around. You are entitled to the information, and you don't even have to say why you want it.
Of course, the basic flaw is that the law presumes that the governmente should be willing to give the info. In an ideal world, that would be the case. Alas, this will never be an ideal case.
By the way, to all you jingoist idiots talking about the "war on Al-Qaeda", a few basic facts:
- You cannot be at "war with Al-Qaeda" anymore that you can be at war with the Red Cross. Al-Qaeda is not a country. Now, go read the Constitution (or at least a dictionary).
- Two buildings destroyed and a few thousand dead. And you want to give a blank check to your president to bypass Congress and violate your basic right. You are not only stupid, you are pathetic.
- I am not flaming. I'm describing as objectively as possible.
Our Boston City Clerk, Boston Public Library and Boston City Archives routinely violate the spirit of state and local freedom of information principles and sunshine open public meeting principles. Boston Public Library departments deflect or deny access to legitimately public information about long range planning for city library departments collections and services such as department curators' annual reports. Boston City Clerk denied access to the legitimately public more complete stenographic minutes of public meetings of our City Council.
See also
http://zork.net/~dsaklad