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WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
by FOX17 National Correspondent Kristine Frazao
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration is coming under fire Thursday night after a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders say they're failing to open up. Before Barack Obama won his first Presidential election, he criticized his predecessor and promised a transparent government.
"It's no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in our history has focused on special interests and public policies that could not stand up to the sunlight," says President Obama. "As President, I'm going to change that."
Not only has Obama fallen short, critics say his administration is far, far worse than George W. Bush's policy was on open records. Thomas Fitton is President of Judicial Watch, a watchdog group.
"When the Obama people come in and say they are the most transparent, we found that not to be the case," says Fitton. "We have over 900 Freedom of Information requests trying to get basic information."
Watchdogs are not the only ones complaining. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th District) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District), the top Republican and Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, want to know why the Justice Department has a huge backlog of Freedom of Information requests. Our investigative media partner the Washington Guardian added up the number of open record requests denied in just one year.
"In 2011, the U.S. government denied 200,000 petitions," says the Washington Guardian's Phillip Swarts.
As a reporter, it's frustrating. There's a stack of Freedom of Information requests sent by our colleagues to departments such as Treasury, Homeland Security and Labor, all denied. We were pursuing information such as compensation claims, very basic. By law, we all have a right to see and understand.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration is coming under fire Thursday night after a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders say they're failing to open up. Before Barack Obama won his first Presidential election, he criticized his predecessor and promised a transparent government.
"It's no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in our history has focused on special interests and public policies that could not stand up to the sunlight," says President Obama. "As President, I'm going to change that."
Not only has Obama fallen short, critics say his administration is far, far worse than George W. Bush's policy was on open records. Thomas Fitton is President of Judicial Watch, a watchdog group.
"When the Obama people come in and say they are the most transparent, we found that not to be the case," says Fitton. "We have over 900 Freedom of Information requests trying to get basic information."
Watchdogs are not the only ones complaining. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th District) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD 7th District), the top Republican and Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, want to know why the Justice Department has a huge backlog of Freedom of Information requests. Our investigative media partner the Washington Guardian added up the number of open record requests denied in just one year.
"In 2011, the U.S. government denied 200,000 petitions," says the Washington Guardian's Phillip Swarts.
As a reporter, it's frustrating. There's a stack of Freedom of Information requests sent by our colleagues to departments such as Treasury, Homeland Security and Labor, all denied. We were pursuing information such as compensation claims, very basic. By law, we all have a right to see and understand.
Thursday, February 7 2013, 10:37 PM CST
Tennessee News
National exhibit on Civil War in Nashville
May 20, 2013 08:09 GMT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A national traveling exhibit on the Civil War will be on display at Nashville's Green Hills Library beginning on Monday.
The exhibit lets viewers experience the war through the eyes of politicians, soldiers, families and freed slaves. It includes letters, personal accounts and images that demonstrate how people grappled with the end of slavery, the nature of democracy and citizenship, the human toll of the war and the role of a president in wartime.
According to the library, the Gilder Lehrman Institute developed the exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
More information on the exhibit is available at http://www.library.nashville.org .
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