Obama on FOIA and open government

What? Really? A President who thinks transparency and public accountability have a place in our democracy?

Assuming Obama follows through with promoting this policy and agencies respond in kind, this is a prime example of how drastically different the relationship between the executive branch and the public will be under the new administration.


"The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In
the face of doubt, openness prevails. The Government should not keep information
confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure,
because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract
fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal
interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to
serve. In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies should
act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are
servants of the public. All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of
disclosure. . ."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/FreedomofInformationAct/


"My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of open-
ness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and
establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.
Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effec-
tiveness in Government."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/