Publication Items

Leahy, Cornyn Introduce FOIA Exemption-Flagging Bill [1]

A new bill would require Congress to explicitly declare when it was creating a new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act in any legislation.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Leahy, Cornyn Introduce FOIA Exemption-Flagging Bill [1]
Attorney General Sets Openness as Standard for Fed Info [7]

Carrying out a January 21 order by President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder has reversed the so-called "Ashcroft Memo," which had encouraged agencies during the George Bush presidency to err on the side of secrecy.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Policy [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Attorney General Sets Openness as Standard for Fed Info [7]
Health Care Journos Call for End to Saddam-Style "Minders" [9]

The Association of Health Care Journalists wrote the Obama administration asking it to end the practice of making reporters go through public affairs offices to arrange interviews with federal experts and, in some cases, having public affairs people monitor those interviews.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [10]
Government [4]
Policy [8]
Journalism & Media [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Health Care Journos Call for End to Saddam-Style "Minders" [9]
Groups Call On EPA To Settle Suit, Restore TRI [12]

Hundreds of civic groups and individuals called on EPA March 1, 2009, to restore the Toxics Release Inventory to its former usefulness for informing people of what toxic chemicals companies are releasing into their air, water, and land.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [13]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Groups Call On EPA To Settle Suit, Restore TRI [12]
Ten Good Things on the EPA Web Site [14]

There is a lot of useful government information that is freely available to journalists and the public online. Here are some examples from EPA that can be the building blocks of great stories.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Ten Good Things on the EPA Web Site [14]
Commerce Seeks Wildlife Leakers [15]

A Bush-appointed holdover inspector general has teamed up with an ultraconservative Senator in a "plumber" operation aimed at punishing agency employees who revealed attempts to gut the Endangered Species Act via "midnight regulations."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Biodiversity [16]
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Commerce Seeks Wildlife Leakers [15]
SEJ Backs Free Publication of Tax-Funded Research [17]

SEJ and science journalism groups expressed opposition to a bill that would reverse current policy of free publication of scientific results coming from federal agencies.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Policy [8]
Science [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about SEJ Backs Free Publication of Tax-Funded Research [17]
Environment Canada Gags Scientists At Conference [19]

SEJ member Janet Pelley writes about her experience with EC scientists, policy and a press 'minder' at the recent Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [11]
Region:
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Environment Canada Gags Scientists At Conference [19]
"Show Us The Data" [22]

A new online project by two longstanding open-government groups allows people and groups to vote for the government information they would most like disclosed.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about "Show Us The Data" [22]
FOIA Requests in 120-Day Limbo — Or Are They? [23]

In January 2009, President Obama reversed Bush administration policy and ordered most federal agencies to err on the side of disclosure when responding to FOIA requests. Why, then, are a number of agencies still operating under the old policies?
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about FOIA Requests in 120-Day Limbo — Or Are They? [23]

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