Posted by Jonathan Adler:
If a Presidential Action Isn't Reported to the White House Press Corps, Does It
Make A Sound?
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_02_15-2009_02_21.shtml#1234995205
Here's an [1]interesting Politico story on the Obama Administration's
inconsistent release of information on various Presidential actions.
In his first weeks in office, President Barack Obama shut down his
predecessor�s system for reviewing regulations, realigned and
expanded two key White House policymaking bodies and extended
economic sanctions against parties to the conflict in the African
nation of Cote D�Ivoire.
Despite the intense scrutiny a president gets just after the
inauguration, Obama managed to take all these actions with nary a
mention from the White House press corps.
The moves escaped notice because they were never announced by the
White House Press Office and were never placed on the White House
web site. . . .
A Politico review of Federal Register issuances since Obama took
office found three executive orders, one presidential memorandum,
one presidential notice, and one proclamation that went unannounced
by the White House.
I don't see anything nefarious here, as none of these actions are the
sort of thing that an Administration would want to hide. But it is
nonetheless interesting that the White House has failed to announce
significant policy actions, and even more interesting that this
failure has meant that such actions go largely unreported in
traditional news outlets.
In a related vein, the Administration has yet to follow through with
its promise of "Sunlight before Signing" either. President Obama
pledged delay signing all non-emergency legislation for five days so
as to allow public examination and discussion. Yet President Obama
signed both the [2]Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and S-CHIP extension
within two days of passage. He [3]waited a little longer to sign the
stimulus bill, but that was supposed to be such an emergency that the
House leadership would not keep their commitment to giving the public
48-hours to digest the bill before a vote was called.
These stories (and [4]others) underscore the fact that it is much
easier to promise greater sunlight and transparency than it is to
deliver. Campaign promises notwithstanding, the Administration is
[5]likely to stumble along for a bit in this area. But as an advocate
of greater government transparency, this is an area in which I hope
the Administration regains its footing.
References
1. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18969.html
2.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/38708462.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUeyDiPhD:aUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
3.
http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/For-Obama-its-more-about-showmanship-than-sunlight-39689777.html
4. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/39701787.html
5.
http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/from-wired-campaign-to-not-so-wired-white-house-4963
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