40 out of 9000 members ....

Less Than Transparent: Journalists Fault Obama SHARYL ATTKISSON When President Obama took office, he gave journalists great hope by promising unprecedented transparency. The reality has proven to be eight years of slippage in nearly every facet of openness. As the president prepares to leave office, the Society of Professional Journalists have noted the disappointing shortfalls. Forty journalism and open-government groups sent a letter to White House press secretary Josh Earnest* in September after he called for journalists to give the president credit for improvements in government transparency. The Society of Professional Journalists and other groups have “repeatedly outlined to the administration various ways in which transparency has gotten worse” including: Officials’ blocking reporters’ requests to talk to specific people Excessive delays in answering interview requests, stretching past reporters’ deadlines Refusing to give reporters what should be public information unless they agree not to say who’s speaking Federal agencies’ blackballing of reporters who write critically of them Lack of meaning visual access to the pressmen try an independent press pool SHARYL ATTKISSON ASIDE : The SBJ membership base is more than 9,000 members of the media.