NNA press release, Sept. 28

Contact:
Tonda F. Rush, Public Policy Director
(703) 465-8808

NNA Praises House Subcommittee Approval of FOIA Reform Legislation

National Newspaper Association President Jerry Reppert, publisher of the Anna (Ill.) Gazette-Democrat, applauded the approval by a key House Subcommittee of HR 867, a bill designed to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and increase openness in government.

The House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Finance and Accountability, led by Chairman Todd Russell Platts, R-Pa., approved the OPEN Government Act by voice vote.

The bill would help speed FOIA processing by instituting meaningful deadlines, closing loopholes used to deny valid requests and create a FOIA mediator office which could serve as an alternative to the costly litigation often necessary to contest a denial of information.

The accepted measure included an amendment offered by Rep. Waxman, D-Calif., ranking Democratic member, that would overturn two key memoranda issued by Bush Administration officials urging less public disclosure of government information. One was a 2001 memo issued by former Attorney General John Ashcroft directing government agencies to use their discretion to withhold information. Previous policy had been to release information in the public interest where possible, even if exemptions existed.

That document was criticized as reversing the presumption of openness originally enshrined in FOIA.

“We appreciate the strong leadership of Chairman Platts and of other subcommittee members for their dedication to this important issue. Newspapers rely on FOIA to inform our readers of their government's actions. More importantly for small papers like mine, FOIA sets the tone for openness or secrecy throughout the nation. The OPEN Government Act is a necessary measure to battle back the inevitable waves of government secrecy that have developed in recent years,” Reppert said.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and has 31 bipartisan cosponsors. Chairman Platts brought the bill up for consideration after holding a hearing on FOIA reform in July at which NNA, representing the Sunshine in Government Initiative (SGI), testified about the need to strengthen the 40-year-old law. The move comes only a week after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved companion legislation.

SGI is a coalition of media groups committed to promoting policies that ensure the government is accessible, accountable and open. Members include American Society of Newspaper Editors, The Associated Press, Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, Newspaper Association of America, Radio-Television News Directors Association, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Society of Professional Journalists.

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