Spotlight on Secrecy: Report Chronicles
"Unprecedented Rise" in Information Limits
Simply stated: "Openness is an American value."
So begins a new report on the alarming rise in excessive government secrecy by the People for the American Way Foundation and OpenTheGovernment.org.
The report, "Government Secrecy: Decisions Without Democracy 2007," chronicles what it calls an "unprecedented rise in government secrecy."
"In the past six years, the basic principle of openness as the underpinning of democracy has been seriously undermined and distrust of government is on the rise," the report states.
Among the findings: the number of items classified has jumped from 3.5 million in 1995 to 14.2 million in 2005; various executive orders, memos and other directives have moved a general presumption of openness to one of a "when in doubt, classify"; there has been growth in information dubbed "sensitive" rather than "classified," effectively squirreling it away without review; FOIA delays and denials are growing exponentially; courts are regularly closing their doors to the public; federal prosecutors have subpoenaed reporters trying to force disclosure of confidential sources; and efforts have been made to reintroduce an official secrets act.
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