Associated Press and Freedom of Information

Tom Curley, President and CEO of Associated Press, appreared before the Committee on the Judiciary to urge more Freedom of Information legislation. His testimony is a commentary on goverment's role in the years since the Freedom of Information Acts and the neccesity to erode obstacles to obtaining even more information. He is speaking directly to the senate but it is prepared just like a news editorial. As president to one of the largest news company, Tom Curly has experience working with FOIA by trying to use the legislation in obtaining information. However, he is routinely met, along with thousands of other, by frequent roadblocks. A number that has reached new peaks, since the first enactment of FOIA legislation forty years ago. Tom Curly notes failures by our government but provides ample excuses on their behalf. He claims FOIA officials are bogged down by the threat of being sued by the mega corporations. But FOIA was created to guard the public from those same corporations and agencies. Mr. Curly is too forgiving in his attack. He is one of the most poweful people in the press and he chooses to throw a halfhearted debate at the Senate. If people in these positions wanted to inform the public and have a freedom of information, they would be making an effort. His claims are soft and he actuallys goes on about how the FOIA are working, while he is there to argue for more legislation. The cause for free information will never move forward, when the people spearheading it work the Associated Press. He closes by stressing the importance a government that operates under public scrutiny, not in the shadows. I don't believe he came close to mentioning some of the information that needs to be released. Also, he fails to offer any solutions but he does provide excuses.