On March 15, Attorney General Merrick Garland released guidelines on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). These guidelines come during Sunshine Week after much prompting by open government advocates and congressional representatives. The guidelines include a presumption of openness, telling agencies if foreseeable harm is in doubt, “openness should prevail,” and strongly encouraging agencies to make discretionary disclosures of information. The Attorney General also said the DOJ will not defend FOIA cases that are inconsistent with this presumption of openness. The guidelines further outline proactive disclosure requirements, removing barriers to access, and reducing backlogs. Read more.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
