Secrecy

Light Shy Lobbyists

by Bob Burton — March 10, 2007 - 4:56am

Andrew Parker, the head of the Australian PR and lobbying firm Parker & Partners -- a part of the Ogilvy PR Worldwide network -- is worried that the Australian government will re-introduce a system of regulating lobbyists.

Main Source: 
The Australian, March 9, 2007

Pentagon Declares War on Bad News

by Diane Farsetta — February 28, 2007 - 6:53pm

"Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media," reports Kelly Kennedy.

Main Source: 
Army Times, February 28, 2007

Secrecy's Side Effects

by Bob Burton — February 17, 2007 - 4:24am

Richard Zitrin, a San Francisco-based lawyer who teaches at the University of California, warns that the willingness of lawyers to reach secret out-of-court agreements with drug companies can have dangerous consequences for patients.

Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2007

Yes, Virginia, Congresspedia Does Have The Daily Schedules of Two Members of Congress

by Conor Kenny — February 5, 2007 - 4:18pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, Secrecy

    • On Sunday the Washington Post ran a story about how two freshman members of Congress are posting their schedules online and that archives of their schedules can be found on

    Censorship of Climate Scientists Heats Up

    by Diane Farsetta — January 31, 2007 - 6:37pm

    "Prompted by reports that [Bush] administration appointees, including a former oil industry lobbyist who was chief of staff at the [White House] Council on Environmental Quality, edited climate change reports or pressured scientists to tone down statements about the dangers of global warming," the U.S.

    Main Source: 
    Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2007

    Spin Doctor Outed As 'Health' Adviser on Guantanamo Prisoner

    by Bob Burton — January 21, 2007 - 5:42pm

    The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, recently sought to downplay concerns about the mental health of an Australian citizen, David Hicks, who has been imprisoned in G

    Main Source: 
    The Australian, January 20, 2007

    Leaked Documents Spur Investigation into Lilly Drug Marketing

    by Bob Burton — January 21, 2007 - 3:15am

    A U.S. federal court judge has extended an injunction banning groups in the U.S. from adding a weblink to leaked internal documents on Eli Lilly's schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug, Zyprexa.

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, January 20, 2007

    New transparency in Congress

    by Conor Kenny — January 19, 2007 - 7:23pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Secrecy

    • If you look beyond the headlines of the recently passed ethics reform bills, a revolutionary leap forward in transparency has been made by two members of Congress. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have each begun posting their schedules online, which we have included in their Congresspedia profiles (see here for Gillibrand and here for Tester). The idea of letting constituents know how their elected officials spend their day seems basic but, to my knowledge, has never been tried before.

    Tester has thus far kept his previous schedules available in an online archive and Congresspedia has begun archiving Gillibrand's on the wiki, so don't worry if you don't catch her schedule on a particular day.

    The Road Not Taken

    by Bob Burton — January 13, 2007 - 3:19pm

    Rick Snell, the editor of Freedom of Information Review and lecturer in law at the University of Tasmania, notes the contrast between Australia and New Zealand's experience of freedom of information legislation, which both enacted in 1983. In New Zealand, Snell writes, "it was greeted with hails of dismay by public service unions, lawyers and academics." In Australia, the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, extolled access to government information as "a public right".

    Main Source: 
    Sydney Morning Herald, January 11, 2007
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