Dangerous Secrecy

• In 1954, the government denied that lethal radiation had resulted from nuclear bomb tests in the South Pacific. News media that attempted to discover the truth about the tests ran into a wall of government silence.
• The government fought all the way up to Supreme Court to prevent publication of the Pentagon Papers, but years later the solicitor general admitted he never saw any evidence that publication posed a threat to national security.
• The government has used "government secrets" to avoid accountability for its illegal spying: refusing to release records, trying to get court cases challenging the program dismissed, denying access to trial evidence against criminal defendants who may have been victims.
• The Bush administration has refused since 2001 to release information about the task force assembled by Vice President Dick Cheney to recommend energy policy.
• A provision of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 allows companies to supply information about their critical infrastructure to the Department of Homeland Security in exchange for protection from lawsuits and public disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act.
• The Environmental Protection Agency eliminated listings of chemical accidents from its Web site, making it harder for people to find out about hazards in their communities.

FOIA Success

The Case of Vincent James Landano >>