A shock to the system: journalism, government, and freedom of information
Four years after the Freedom of Information Act came into effect, what has its effect been? Would we have known about MPs' expenses claims if FOI campaigners hadn't started digging?
My colleague Jeremy Hayes, senior output editor at The World Tonight, has written a fascinating paper about how the Act has been used -- his conclusion might surprise you.
His study has been published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. You can read it here.
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Hey thanks for this article. I thought it was interesting, do you mind if I post it to my website?
Wade Young
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Yes, but what you are given in the right hand with Freedom of Information, you are going to lose in the left hand with Justice Eady's libel and human rights laws ??
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I reckon it is too early to tell what effect the FOI legislation has had. I would have thought the questions that should be answered are:
1. Has it saved any lives or prevented injuries?
2. Has its financial cost been offset by net savings?
3. Has it led to more justice and fairness?
Others may pose their own questions, but I cant think of any others.
I dont think there is a positive answer to no.1 and I reckon no.2 shows that we could be several £millions out of pocket. With regards to no. 3, who yet knows?
My guess is that the FOI Act will do more harm than good over time. As the main beneficiaries are journalists, it is very hard to find the truth behind the propaganda in favour of FOI.
An example of this propaganda is that fact that the BBC will campaign for FOI requests to remain free, despite the costs to the public purse. However, when public funds are being spent on banks or MPs' expenses it suddenly becomes taxpayers' money.
These double standards, and the fact that the journalists have access to the newspapers, web sites, radio and tv studios means that public opinion is being manipulated to think of FOI as a panacea when in truth, we cant possible know at this stage.
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When I see the Balen Report made public, then I may begin to start believing in freedom of the press and free access to unclassified information in the UK. The whole world knows that the only reason BBC continues to fight its release in court is that it would be very embarrassing to its entire staff and management and would cost it credibility with the public at large it has already lost with me.
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