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