What’s New
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19 March 2011
Source Disclosure Clause in FOI Bill Riles Nigerian Press
Nigerian media groups are lambasting a provision inserted by the Nigerian Senate into its version of the freedom of information bill that would require journalists to disclose their sources , according to media reports such as one in The Nation. The president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Garba Muhammed, called it a “watered […]
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19 March 2011
Spanish Minister to Decide on Proposing Transparency Law
Spain’s Ministry of the Presidency on March 17 promised civil society organizations of Spain’s Coalicion Pro Acceso to say, within one month, whether the Spanish government will propose freedom of information legislation. Minister Ramón Jáuregui told the coalition that the law has not been definitively shelved, despite the press of other business, and that he […]
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16 March 2011
Nigerian Senate Passes Modified FOI Legislation
The Nigerian Senate March 16 passed a freedom of information bill considered weaker than the House bill and a “harmonization conference committee” has been appointed to resolve the differences. During debate March 15, the Senate amended the bill to eliminate a provision that would have required requesters to demonstrate “the need” for disclosure of the […]
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16 March 2011
U.S. Announces Variety of New Transparency Plans
Although a scheduled meeting of freedom of information activists with President Obama on U.S. Freedom of Information Day was postponed, administration officials took advantage of “Sunshine Week” to make a variety of pro-transparency announcements. FOI leaders had planned to laud Obama publicly for his commitment to transparency while privately pressing him to do more. However, […]
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14 March 2011
Indian RTI Conference Adopts 12-Point Shillong Declaration
Indian right to know activists March 13 passed a 12-point resolution urging that the law’s jurisdiction be expanded to cover Public-Private Partnership (PPP) entities, political parties, trade unions, and nongovernmental organizations. The “Shillong Declaration” was approved at the conclusion of a three day national RTI conference in Shillong, attended by about 1,000 persons. The declarations […]
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14 March 2011
Obama Transparency Pledges Unfulfilled, NSA Report Says
The Obama administration is only about halfway toward its promise of improving Freedom of Information responsiveness among federal agencies, according to the new Knight Open Government Survey by the National Security Archive, released March 14 for Sunshine Week at www.nsarchive.org. On his first day in office, January 21, 2009, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum instructing federal […]
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11 March 2011
El Salvador Joins the List of FOI Countries
By Natalia Torres Senior Researcher, CELE The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador March 3 gave definitive approval to the Law on Access to Public Information. The law, which was first passed in December of last year, received a series of observations from the president of the country. Congress had to either reject or incorporate them […]
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11 March 2011
Agenda Set for Global Conference on Transparency
More than 100 papers will be presented at the 1st Global Conference on Transparency Research to be held in late May by Rutgers University-Newark, New Jersey. “This is the first large meeting of its kind to bring together leading scholars from throughout the world to collectively advance our understanding of the impact and implications of […]
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11 March 2011
Indian RTI Activists Gather for National Meeting
Some 500 participants are attending a three-day national convention on right to information in Shillong, India, titled “Reclaim Democracy,” from March 10-12. Aruna Roy, social activist and member of the National Advisory Council, addressed the convention, saying, “The Right to Information Act is the most fundamental law this country has seen as it can be […]
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11 March 2011
Article 19 Criticizes Draft Bolivian FOI Bill
Draft Bolivian freedom of information legislation should be adopted, but needs improvement according to the London-based freedom of expression group Article 19. The group praised the draft bill’s broad application, including to private bodies performing public services, and a provision “to promote public transparency in public management.” Allowing the use of e-mail for requests and […]
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11 March 2011
Canadian Info Commissioner Issues Report Card
There were “limited gains” in the transparency of Canada’s federal institutions, according to a “report card” issued March 10 by the Information Commissioner of Canada, Suzanne Legault. The headlines about the report emphasized the poor ratings given the Canada Post Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation “for dragging their feet on answering information requests from […]
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11 March 2011
Scottish Commissioner Issues Annual Report
Scottish public authorities are handling more freedom of information requests and are more likely to disclose information, according to research accompanying publication by the Scottish Information Commissioner of the 2010 Annual Report. According to a statement: A survey of FOI officers across Scotland found that over two thirds reported a rise in FOI requests over […]
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10 March 2011
Statewatch Criticizes EC Position on Access
The European Commission’s recent indication that in March it will propose a limited amendment to the European Union’s regulation on public access to EU documents has drawn sharp criticism from a leading watchdog group. The Commission’s latest Work Programme for 2011 (Ref. No. 2011/SG/006, Page 33) includes the additional goal of: “Incorporate in regulation 1049/2002 […]
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10 March 2011
Utah Restricts Access to Records Despite Protests
Utah Governor Gary Herbert Match 8 signed controversial legislation that critics say will restrict access to government records. Instead of vetoing the bill, as opponents urged, Herbert signed a version of the bill that was altered slightly, to delay its effective date until July 1. This gap is intended to allow time for the potential […]
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7 March 2011
Sierra Leone Minister Says FOI Bill to Pass This Week
The Sierra Leone Minister of information and Communication, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, said March 4 that the freedom of information bill will become law this week, according to a media report. The vote did not occur, however. A quorum could not be mustered because opposition parliamentarians out of town to campaign for re-election, a key activist […]
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7 March 2011
Critics Ask Guyana Officials to Fulfill FOI Promise
Unfulfilled government promises to offer an access to information bill is frustrating supporters of more transparency in Guyana, according to articles in Kaieteur News. The Alliance for Change was organizing picketing on March 3 because of the delay, according to one report. Government officials, including Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo, have said that the bill […]
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7 March 2011
Selangor Revises Proposed FOI Legislation
The Malaysian state of Selangor has revised its draft freedom of information legislation, making improvements to it, according to civil society activists following the process. The first draft of the FOI bill was criticized as too restrictive. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The revisions are an improvement, according to the civil society groups because they include […]
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7 March 2011
U.S. Court Rejects Navy Use of Personnel Exemption
The United States Supreme Court March 7 said the government could not stretch the personnel exemption to withhold Navy data and maps predicting the extent of potential damage from the explosion of an ammunition dump. The justices voted 8-1 to overturn an appeals court ruling that had supported the Navy’s decision not to release to the information under […]
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4 March 2011
Nigerian Senate President Says FOI Bill Needs Change
The president of the Nigerian Senate March 3 said that a freedom of information bill will pass before next month’s elections, but suggested that changes are necessary. While saying that half a bill would be better than no bill, he offered no specifics, according to news reports, but stressed a need for the media to be responsible […]
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4 March 2011
Indian Government Moves Slightly on FOI Word Limit
The Indian government has backed down somewhat from its proposal to limit the length of freedom of information requests to 250 words. Five hundred words would be permitted, according to a Times of India report, which credited the movement to the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). The council has previously criticized the proposed new […]