Coalition Makes Right-to-Know Recommendations to President-elect

On Nov. 12, the right-to-know community published a set of transparency recommendations for President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress. These recommendations are supported by a group of over 280 individuals and organizations and published in a report, titled Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda: Recommendations to President-elect Obama and Congress. Seventy recommendations urge the new president and the incoming Congress to act quickly on a number of key government openness issues while encouraging a more systemic, longer-term approach to a variety of other transparency problems that plague the federal government. Among the top recommendations is a call for strong leadership and vision on government transparency from the president, starting with a statement on the importance of government openness in the inaugural address. Other top recommendations are for a new government policy that urges agencies to proactively disclose information where possible, rather than waiting for Freedom of Information Act requests; a new initiative to provide information about government spending, influence of lobbyists, and the revolving door for political appointees; and adequate funding to implement new policies.

Government openness advocates also placed a high priority on modernizing the government's use of technology to manage and disclose information. Greater exploration of wikis, comment sections, collaborative projects, public review of pending policies, and online dialogs were also seen as innovations that would greatly improve the connection between government and the people. Additionally, the community took a strong position against the almost reflexive deference to secrecy by the executive branch when it comes to national security. While the need for national secrets was recognized, the group urged the president to challenge the mindset that secrecy makes us safer. The widespread use of "sensitive but unclassified" labels that has impeded interagency information-sharing and public disclosure of government activities was highlighted as a key security issue that needs to be addressed quickly.

The report consists of five chapters, each broken into subsections:

• Chapter A — Introduction: describes a brief history of government openness tracing back to the Continental Congress and the current status of government transparency, which has seen many threats but also some improvements.
• Chapter B — First 100 Days: depicts the need for major reforms in light of the current state of excessive secrecy and restricted public access and provides five recommendations for the president to immediately undertake.
• Chapter C — National Security and Secrecy: This is divided into six parts: Overclassification, Pseudo-Secrecy, State Secrets Privilege, Federal Secrecy Imposed on State and Local Officials, Failed Checks and Balances, and the Imperative of Real Accountability.
• Chapter D — Usability of Government Information: This section is divided into three parts: Using the Internet to Promote Interactivity, Electronic Records Management, and Scientific Openness & the Media.
• Chapter E — Creating a Government Environment for Transparency: This chapter is divided into five parts: Policy Statements, Resource Requirements, Incentives to Promote Disclosure, Improved Oversight & Enforcement, and Long-Term Vision for Government Transparency.

As reported in a previous issue of The Watcher, the recommendations were created as part of a two-year effort known as the 21st Century Right to Know Project, coordinated by OMB Watch. It brought together dozens of individuals and organizations from across the country and across the political spectrum to find common ground in possible solutions to what all involved saw as intolerable levels of secrecy in the federal government. The parties involved were also frustrated that government has not yet fully embraced the power of interactive technologies, noting that government agencies are largely functioning with 20th century tools and policies. Participants included conservatives, libertarians, and progressives representing good government groups, professional associations, traditional reporters, bloggers, unions, representatives of the philanthropic community, technology experts, and members of academia.

Gary D. Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch and one of the key people involved in the project and the report, said, "Taken in total, the recommendations in this report propose a transformational role for government. The report calls for reconnecting our government with all of us, 'We, the people.'" Bass continued, "It calls on government to move its methods for serving the public's right to know into the 21st century. And it calls on government to make itself more open than any past administration in order to rebuild trust and accountability."

This project started at the beginning of 2007 with a discussion by the OpenTheGovernment.org steering committee. OpenTheGovernment.org is a coalition dedicated to less government secrecy and more openness. Working hand-in-hand with the coalition, OMB Watch spearheaded this initiative. It included a series of sessions across the country, various surveys and interviews, and leadership from three expert panels. The expert panels were chaired by Meredith Fuchs of the National Security Archive, Ari Schwartz of the Center for Democracy and Technology, and Patrice McDermott of OpenTheGovernment.org.

Several other organizations are also calling for increased transparency. The National Security Archive released memoranda to the President-elect concerning Freedom of Information Act efficiency, classification system reform, and Presidential Records Act compliance. The Center for American Progress announced the January release of its book, Change for America, which it calls "a progressive blueprint for the 44th president." The book includes a chapter on government transparency in the Internet age.

Readers can access Moving Toward a 21st Century Right-to-Know Agenda at /files/21strtkrecs.pdf. Though the report is no longer in draft form, the 21st Century Right to Know Project is still accepting report endorsements. Please do not hesitate to add your endorsement through our online web form.