Cornyn: Pro-FOIA, Pro-Blog
Today, Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) introduced new legislation to strengthen the government's administration of the Freedom of Information Act. POGO endorsed the bill, entitled Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2005 (OPEN Government Act, S. 394), in this letter. For a relatively non-technical summary of the issues addressed by the OPEN Government Act, check this document out.
Also, Cornyn mentioned the word "blog," in his speech. This is the first time the word has been spoken on the Senate Floor (His legislation would change the way media-fee status is determined, allowing a person's online and/or print publication history to qualify them for media-fee status, rather than institutional affiliation with a traditional news source. Media-fee status allows for cheaper access to information provided under FOIA.):
The news media is of course the main way people get information about government. The media pushes government entities, and elected officials and bureaucrats and agencies to release information that the people have a right to know, occasionally exposing waste, fraud and abuse. And hopefully, more often than that, letting the American people know what a good job their public officials are doing. But we’ve also seen in recent years the expansion of other outlets for sharing information outside of the mainstream media – to online communities, discussion groups, and blogs. I believe all these outlets can and do contribute to the health of our political democracy.
Comments