03/10/2005

AP launches FOI Web site

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press has posted a new section on its corporate Internet site that is dedicated to raising public awareness of its efforts to press for government access. The launch of the "AP and Freedom of Information" Web pages coincides with the first national "Sunshine Week: Your Right to Know" initiative, a weeklong media coalition project scheduled to officially get under way March 13.

AP, the world's oldest and largest news cooperative, has a long history of involvement in FOI issues and actions, handling scores of actions each year on behalf of the news industry to assure that journalists have access to events, proceedings and information. AP President and CEO Tom Curley has made "open government" a signature initiative of his public addresses since he assumed leadership of the AP in June 2003.

Today Curley announced that the AP has joined with the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, National Newspaper Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Radio-Television News Directors Association and the Newspaper Association of America to form a coalition called "The Sunshine in Government Initiative." The groups seek to combat what they see as increased government secrecy since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"National security depends on public trust," Curley said. "The trend toward secrecy is the greatest threat to democracy. We must be vigilant at explaining and fighting for accountable government in every jurisdiction."

The coalition will lobby for legislation and seek to educate the public about First Amendment issues. For example, a bill called the OPEN Government Act of 2005 seeks to speed release of information sought in Freedom of Information Act requests has been endorsed by the Sunshine Initiative. On March 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on terrorism, technology and homeland security plans a hearing on the bill. Witnesses include Walter Mears, former AP executive editor and Pulitzer prize-winning political writer.

Next week on AP's corporate Internet site, "AP and Freedom of Information" will feature stories on that congressional hearing and Web pages with a variety of Sunshine Week-related material, including a package of FOI-related news stories focusing on government access.

"Sunshine Week" is a nationwide campaign to get the public more involved in the battle against government secrecy at all levels. It is based on the premise that information is being withheld more often by federal, state and local officials who argue that post-Sept. 11 security concerns warrant keeping it secret. The project has been joined by more than 50 news outlets, journalism groups, universities and the American Library Association, and includes media across the United States running broadcast material and newspaper editorials, op-ed columns, cartoons and stories about the importance of government openness. Curley and a host of other media leaders are founding organizers of the 2005 initiative.

AP's "Sunshine Week" stories, which will be available for newspaper publication in the opening days of "Sunshine Week," have moved in advance on AP's national and state wires, accompanied by photos and graphics. They include:

For release Sunday, March 13:

-- Robert Tanner's overview story examining why the Freedom of Information Act matters to the public, because non-journalists use it the most, and how the government has tightened its controls on the release of information since Sept. 11.

-- AP CEO Curley's Q&A on access issues.

-- Joe Ruff's story on how the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act has altered social patterns in a small Nebraska town.

For release Monday, March 14:

-- Martha Mendoza's overview story reviewing the release of federal government records since 1998 and detailing ways in which federal, state and local governments are curtailing the availibility of documents.

-- Mendoza's story on the oldest pending FOIA request (it turns 24 this year)

-- a glance giving a sampling of the 50-plus countries that have FOIA laws.

The site, produced by AP's Corporate Communications department, includes audio and video clips, sections for journalists and for the public, and a compilation of resources on the Web designed to further understanding of the FOI process. It can be accessed at http://www.ap.org/FOI/public.htmli

The Associated Press is the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, providing content to more than 15,000 news outlets with a daily reach of 1 billion people around the world. Its multimedia services are distributed by satellite and the Internet to more than 120 nations. For more information, visit http:/www.ap.org

On the Net:

AP FOI Web Site: http://www.ap.org/FOI/public.html

Sunshine in Government Initiative: http://www.sunshineingovernment.com

Sunshine Week: http://www.sunshineweek.org

AP Story on Sunshine in Government Initiative: http://www.ap.org/FOI/foi_031005a_000.html


Contact: Ellen Hale, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720