Friday, November 14, 2003

Media FOI Coalition Hires Coordinator Reaction by US media to growing government secrecy intensified Nov. 14, 2003, when a newly formed coalition of media groups announced that it had hired a coordinator. Pete Weitzel, former managing editor of the Miami Herald and founder of Florida's First Amendment Coalition, will begin his duties in December. The coalition was formed at a "First Amendment Summit" June 6, 2003. It will be funded by the Knight Foundation and guided by a steering committee drawn from the Society of Professional Journalists, Freedom Forum, Radio and Television News Directors Association, Newspaper Assn. of America, Associated Press Managing Editors, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the American Soc. of Newspaper Editors. Full Story. 11:41:56 AM

Dems Question "Transparency" of OMB Intervention in Rulemaking Two Democratic Senators, Joe Lieberman (CT) and Dick Durbin (IL), are making an issue of the Office of Management and Budget's intervention in rulemaking by agencies like EPA.  They charged in an Nov. 6, 2003, letter to OMB regulatory administrator John Graham that OMB is interfering with regulations by agencies like EPA in a way that prevents public scrutiny and accountability. They cited a recent GAO report, focusing criticism on OMB communications with agencies before regs are formally transmitted for OMB review. Full story.     11:12:02 AM