Government

53 Journalism Groups Ask Obama To End Press Office Blockades [1]

SEJ, which has complained about press-office restrictions for years, joined over 50 other journalism groups in signing an Aug 10, 2015 letter requesting government transparency — again. The groups had sent a letter to the White House in July 2014, a followup in Aug 2014, resulting in a non-response response from the WH later that month.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [2]

Topics on the Beat:

Government [3]

Journalism & Media [4]

Policy [5]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Read more about 53 Journalism Groups Ask Obama To End Press Office Blockades [1]

First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: FEMA Still To Adapt To Climate Change [7]

"Despite the agency’s attempts to account for bigger storms, its outdated rules leave communities unprepared for disaster".

Disasters [8]

Government [3]

Public [6]

National (U.S.) [9]

Source: Aljazeera America [10], 08/12/2015

Read more about First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: FEMA Still To Adapt To Climate Change [7]

Park Service to Big Water: We’ll Find Our Own Money, Thanks [11]

"First, the National Park Service said it would cut back on selling its visitors bottled water to reduce the litter left behind. Now, Congress — under pressure from the powerful bottled water industry — is threatening to cut off the federal money the Park Service is using to replace the disposable plastic water bottles with refilling stations."

Economy & Business [12]

Government [3]

Natural Resources [13]

Public [6]

National (U.S.) [9]

Source: Wash Post [14], 08/04/2015

Read more about Park Service to Big Water: We’ll Find Our Own Money, Thanks [11]

August 3, 2015

U.S. EPA Media Call on Clean Power Plan, 4 P.M. [15]

Join the EPA's on-the-record media conference call with Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, on the Clean Power Plan. The call is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT, but EPA is expecting alot of interest so is advising journalists to start calling in at 3:30.

News Events & Press Conferences [16]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Topics on the Beat:

Energy & Fuel [17]

Environmental Politics [18]

Government [3]

EPA Crisis Communications Plan: Accurate, Timely, Approved Information [19]

EPA's Plan, approved back on January 15, 2009, mandates giving "understandable, timely, accurate, and consistent information to the public." The plan laudably emphasizes coordination with other agencies — but it also leads to strong message control.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [2]

Topics on the Beat:

Disasters [8]

Environmental Politics [18]

Government [3]

Journalism & Media [4]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Read more about EPA Crisis Communications Plan: Accurate, Timely, Approved Information [19]

Backroom Plot To Scuttle Wisconsin FOIA Falls to Disclosure, Outrage [20]

When a stealth legislative move to dismantle Wisconsin's open records law was revealed this month, a statewide uproar caused sponsors to back off. Appropro that the old lesson "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty" would be taught once again around July 4, 2015.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [2]

Topics on the Beat:

Government [3]

Region:

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Read more about Backroom Plot To Scuttle Wisconsin FOIA Falls to Disclosure, Outrage [20]

Release-to-One, Release-to-All FOIA Pilot Shakes Some Journos [22]

A new pilot program would make available to the public automatically and immediately any information released to an individual FOIA requester. But some journalists would rather not have their pending scoops revealed before they are ripe. Image source: U.S. government.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [2]

Topics on the Beat:

Government [3]

Journalism & Media [4]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Read more about Release-to-One, Release-to-All FOIA Pilot Shakes Some Journos [22]

Obama Administration Slams GOP Environmental Spending Bill [23]

"The Obama administration on Tuesday strongly criticized a Republican budget proposal that would undermine regulatory work at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior."

Environmental Politics [18]

Government [3]

Laws & Regulations [24]

Public [6]

National (U.S.) [9]

Source: Huffington Post [25], 07/08/2015

Read more about Obama Administration Slams GOP Environmental Spending Bill [23]

"Rising Number of Local Governments Set Targets To Cut Emissions" [26]

"Twenty local governments, representing areas producing 5 percent of global climate-changing emissions, have committed to targets to cut those emissions, with the majority also setting goals for renewable energy, a platform uniting them said on Thursday."

Climate Change [27]

Government [3]

Public [6]

International [28]

Source: Reuters [29], 07/06/2015

Read more about "Rising Number of Local Governments Set Targets To Cut Emissions" [26]

New York Times Editorial Calls for Release of CRS Reports [30]

The WatchDog has long whined about Congress' mystifying refusal to let taxpayers read Congressional Research Service reports the taxpayers have paid for. A June 17, 2015, editorial in the New York Times called the situation "absurd," expressing hope that a new director of the Library of Congress (home of the CRS) would manage to get the policy changed.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [2]

Topics on the Beat:

Consumer [31]

Government [3]

Laws & Regulations [24]

Policy [5]

Visibility:

Public [6]

Read more about New York Times Editorial Calls for Release of CRS Reports [30]

U.S. EPA Media Call on Clean Power Plan, 4 P.M. [15]

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