obama – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Sources: Obama transparency official stepping down

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An official tasked with improving the operation of the Freedom of Information Act across the Obama Administration is resigning after less than a year on the job, several sources briefed on the move told Politico.

James Holzer took over last August as director of the Office of Government Information Services, which serves as an ombudsman between federal agencies and FOIA requesters. The office also conducts audits of agencies' FOIA operations and proposes ways to streamline those processes.

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FOIA lawsuit uncovers how the Obama administration killed FOIA reform

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The Obama administration has long called itself the most transparent administration in history. But newly released Department of Justice (DOJ) documents show that the White House has actually worked aggressively behind the scenes to scuttle congressional reforms designed to give the public better access to information possessed by the federal government.

The documents were obtained by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports journalism in the public interest, which in turn shared them exclusively with VICE News.

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Transparency isn’t what keeps government from working

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In 2014, a number of big thinkers made the surprising claim that government openness and transparency are to blame for today’s gridlock. They have it backward: Not only is there no relationship between openness and dysfunction, but more secrecy can only add to that dysfunction.

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50 groups push Obama on FOIA legislation

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A coalition of 50 groups urging more government transparency called on President Obama to publicly support legislation that would reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

The conglomerate – including government watchdogs, civil liberties groups and media advocacy groups ó wants a commitment that a number of reforms will remain in place after the president leaves office.

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White House Launches More Open Data Initiatives

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The Obama administration has launched a series of open data initiatives to make information across a variety of areas such as health, energy, climate, and public safety more accessible to federal agencies and citizens, a top White House official said.

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Freedom of press under attack now

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An important survey from the Associated Press lays out in detail just how the Obama administration limits access to public information. As we face a new war in the Middle East, a dangerous outbreak of a virulent disease and a number of political scandals, itís more important than ever that American citizens ó and American voters ó to have access to information.

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Groups call on Obama to undo his administration’s damage to Freedom of Information laws

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A group of government transparency advocates delivered a letter to the White House Monday calling on the Obama administration to do away with its policy of reviewing Freedom of Information Act requests determined by the executive to contain "White House equities." The policy has "caused significant confusion and delay among agencies in their compliance with the Freedom of Information Act."

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US to craft open source policy by next year

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After delivering his address at the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting last week, President Obama dropped a tidbit of interest for open data advocates: he promised to produce an open source policy by the end of 2015.

Speaking before the three-year-old Open Government Partnership, Obama promised to expand the second Open Government National Action Plan, which was unveiled by the administration in December.

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Editorial: Nothing to crow about

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President Obama made some commendable speeches at the United Nations last week, but his self-serving remarks to a panel on open government wonít win any plaudits from supporters of an independent news media. They were an astonishing example of saying one thing while doing just the opposite.

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Obama administration ‘blocking’ information from the press – AP

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Uncovering information that should be available to the public has become increasingly difficult under the presidency of Barack Obama, an Associated Press bureau chief says. In some cases, it surpasses the secrecy of the George W. Bush administration.

The White House's penchant for secrecy does not just apply to the federal government, according to AP's Washington bureau chief, Sally Buzbee. During a joint meeting of news editors, she stated that the same kind of behavior is starting to appear in state and local governments.

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