Government Transparency In The United States

Frank Basile
Professor Senft
Writing for Effective Commun.
11/28/16
Government Transparency
Some say “ignorance is bliss,” while others argue “knowledge is power.” Are one of these concepts really truer than the other? It’s difficult to say one way or the other when it comes to Americans being exposed to all of the information the government maintains. Like many issues, it is impossible to completely agree with one side or the other. With continuing technological advances we also see advancement in government transparency, specifically, access to information in possession of the federal, state and local governments. There are certainly some valid reasons why government transparency may be beneficial to the citizens of our country. However,
For starters, updating a website and allowing citizens the right to request the files via e-mail or by clicking on a link on the webpage with respect to a certain issue saves the government time and expense in public disclosure of information. Having an open government allows for active public oversight and promotes accountability because the public can see where their information is coming from, who is publishing it and what government officials are doing. Government transparency may also serve to reduce instances of corruption and abuse of power in the government because it now puts political figures and government officials at a higher risk of being caught doing something illegal and/or unethical. Most importantly, it allows the fostering of more trust in their government by the people. The public is much more informed about what’s going on in this country because of government transparency. Whatever information that is not readily available on government websites, the public can request the information through these websites. It is extremely easy for someone to request a file or document. Usually the requester receives the information relatively quickly (Pulidindi,
We apply the system of checks and balances with government transparency, having access to federal agencies information allows the pubic to keep eyes on what is going on in the government. Georg Buchner, a German dramatist in the early 1800s, once said “government must be a transparent garment which tightly clings to the people’s body.” It goes to show you that the concept of an open and accessible government has been around for centuries. In reference to this quote, we also need to recognize that if a “garment” is “too tight” it can cause harm to the body. We cannot eliminate government transparency but when it comes to releasing government information there needs to be a line. The public cannot have access to everything the government maintains. The FOIA does limit certain information from being exposed to public view. There are nine exemptions under the FOIA. The first exemption from disclosure is classified information in order to protect national security. The next exemption prevents dissemination of information associated concerning the internal personnel rules and practices of a governmental agency. Exemption number three excludes the public access to information that is restricted from disclosure by another federal law. Confidential information regarding trade secrets or