FOIA Features on Cover of Parade Magazine
Environmental Right-to-know got an enormous boost Jan. 25, when Parade magazine, with a circulation of some 37 million did a cover story portraying the Freedom of Information Act with all the glamour of a Hollywood diva.
"Mike and Linda Raymond couldn't get answers about what was buried in the landfill near their home," read the coverline. " So the Woburn, Mass. couple used an obscure but powerful tool to uncover the truth. Freedom of Information laws allow ordinary citizens to keep government accountable on everything from environmental safety to teacher certification."
The lead story told of an ordinary middle-class couple stonewalled by town officials when they tried to find out what was happening at a local landfill. After repeated FOIA requests, they got such alarming information that public outcry closed the landfill. Along with the main story came sidebars explaining how anyone can use FOIA and local open government laws. The story ends with quotes from local journalists and Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press director Lucy Dalglish voicing concern over shrinking access since 9/11.
-- "Why We Have the Right to Know," Parade Magazine (cover story), Jan. 25, 2004, by Micah Morrison.
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