Gaining access to public records is getting harder and harder. The government is withholding information that we have a right to. It is even making it difficult for journalists to get and share the information with the public. The Freedom of Information Act gives Americans the right to request information from the government; however the government has not been compliant in honoring such requests.
The national archives and Records Administration is set up so that you can see past records and view them in a public eye. But only certain records are available. Public records seem readily available but all in all they could be very hard to get to. Most Americans want to know what their tax dollar money is being spent on. Citizens should have the right to know everything the government does even if it’s good. The government spends millions of dollars on what? Nobody knows the real answer.
Sources:
Gary Pruitt, “Public Access to Government Records Faces Roadblocks Aplenty,” Media Channel (via McClatchey), March 17, 2015, www.mediachannel.org/publics-access-to-government-records-faces-roadblocks-aplenty/.
Michael Felberbaum, “Big fees to view public documents discourage public access,” McClatchyDC, March 13, 2015,
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/static/features/sunshine/Sunshine-Access.html#storylink=cpy.
Student Researcher: Alexandria Beckman (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)