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The Federal Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA)

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1. The Federal Freedom of Information Act
1. The Federal Freedom of Information Act suggests that the government is more efficient when it is open to public investigation by allowing the public access to information from the federal government, upon request (Siegel, 2014, p. 268). This act has allowed reporters and activists, to help the public know about pertinent issues such as the CIA’s secret detainee program (Siegel, 2014, p. 268). Every federal agency in question is required to make available any records that are not apt to one of the law’s nine exemptions such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement (United States Department of Justice, 2016, p.1).
2. The Government in the Sunshine Act
1. The Government in the Sunshine …show more content…
State Freedom of Information Acts
1. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except if the information falls under one of the nine exemptions or one of three special law enforcement record exclusions (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1). These exemptions include:
1. Classified information regarding national defense or foreign policy (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
2. Internal personnel rules and practices (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
3. Information that is exempt under other federal or state laws (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
4. Trade secrets and confidential business information (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
5. Inter-agency or intra-agency memoranda or letters that are protected by legal privileges (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
6. Personnel and medical files (U.S. Department of State, 2016, p.1)
7. Law enforcement records or information (U.S. Department of State, 2016, …show more content…
First Amendment rights and the protection of news sources is a serious legal right that often needs explaining (Siegel, 2014, p. 293). When courts threaten reporters with contempt of court for keeping the confidentiality of sources this often raises violations of First Amendment flags (Siegel, 2014, p. 293). Moreover, issues in which the press is prevented from learning or reporting information about the judiciary typically raise First Amendment issues as well (Siegel, 2014, p. 294). The First Amendment “reporters’ privilege” applies to the privilege to any person who, at the time of gathering information, intends to eventually reveal their findings to the public (Siegel, 2014, p.

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