Journalists who cover the environment are having an increasingly difficult time dragging information out of the federal government to shed light on Superfund sites, chemical factories, mining accidents and a host of other topics important to citizens.
Long before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, reporters seeking to use the Freedom of Information Act grew accustomed to seemingly interminable delays and withholding of crucial information on dubious grounds.
But since that horrible day, we have watched the tragedy’s effects reach further into our society as this democratizing law – one that helps define us as free and proud Americans – has been further compromised.
In fact, our members have even noticed the government embarking on new attempts to hobble the Freedom of Information Act, using quibbles about search fees to delay the release of documents and invoking the already-cumbersome FOIA process to dodge simple queries from reporters.
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