Many federal agencies have not updated their Freedom of Information Act policies despite an Obama administration directive telling them to loosen the reins on information disclosures, according to a report by the National Security Archive, an investigative group.
A March 2009 Justice Department memo, and then a later follow-up White House memo, told agencies to release information even though a technicality may justify refusing disclosure, to post records of interest to the public and to streamline the process in general. The Justice Department itself recently was named by the group as one of the government’s worst agencies for openness.
In addition, many agencies have not complied with a 2007 law requiring them to be more open about their response to FOIA requests, reform their fee structures and cooperate with the Office of Government Information Services, it said.
The report, which includes recommendations for best practices, is here: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB405/
