In the face of doubt, openness prevails: Final assessment of a social question related to the Obama administration’s policy of transparency.
By Isaac Viel
13/March/2009

Project Background: Assigned to me Winter term of 2009 in an experimental class at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication named ‘Gateway’ was a research project to be generated from one simple social question. The question could be of my own choosing; however, it had to relate to the newly-elected Barack Obama and just one of his many campaign and/or inauguration promises. I chose to research transparency in the federal government to subsequently answer the question of whether or not President Obama’s promises for a more open and transparent government were well-founded and beneficial to the American public and world at large. The research throughout this project reflects my drive to answer my own should question. From various angles and media sources I set out to find a definite answer, and I did.

Official Social Question: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?

Explanation: During his many campaign stops, speeches and debates, Barack H. Obama promised to usher in a new era of the Executive Branch—one that would be more open, more transparent and held more accountable by the public to which they serve.

In his Jan. 20, 2009 inauguration speech, Obama said, “And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account—to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day—because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.” It was this quote that thrust my research forward.

Obama’s promise came at time when the very roots of democracy were threatened and the structural walls of American society were crumbling due to the outgoing Bush Administration’s tight-fisted approach toward freedom of information and expediency of public documents.

Argument for transparency in government: Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kansas Erik Herron defines transparency as the ability of citizens to obtain freely information about their elected and unelected officials allowing for democracy.

At the very root of democracy is the Freedom of Information Act, which was enacted in 1966 by Lyndon Johnson and [“Generally”] states that any person has the right, by law and enforceable in court, to whole or partial federal documents and records with the exception of those records protected by one of now nine exceptions. The act was put in place to protect the public with the notion that a properly functioning democracy requires openness and transparency.

To further the idea that freedom of information and its importance to American society is Larry Coonrod, Editor in Chief of the South Lincoln County News, who said in an interview, “Public documents are the foundation for democracy.” But simply being open does nothing unless everyone understands what openness achieves.

The ability of anyone to gain access to decisions, meetings, spending records, and budgets creates trust between the public and public officials. When trust is lost, cloaked in secrecy or betrayed outright it’s not easily regained. In order for Obama to gain back the trust that has been lost during the last decade or so, he must implement a policy of openness to act as a disinfectant according to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis who once argued, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

I am not alone in wanting to “disinfect” the federal government. In fact, on Nov. 12, 2008, 60 public advocacy groups, working together, released a memorandum to Barack Obama (post election and pre-inauguration) urging him to reopen access to government documents in order to restore the much-derogated trust in public officials. I have also discovered that letting sunshine bathe our government officials can accomplish more than simply gaining the public’s trust.

The result of transparency is far-reaching. Besides the obvious benefits, there are some not so obvious benefits. On a macroeconomic scale, the World Trade Organization found, through empirical data, that governmental non-transparency has an adverse effect on foreign investments to that country. On a smaller microeconomic scale, author and business coach John-Paul Micek insists that transparency through the use of new media can help further the success of individual businesses.

Ensuing public access to documents and government openness is crucial for a healthy democracy, and thus keeping it congruent with emerging new media and technologies is equally as important. In a video released by the New America Foundation, technology and political pundits discuss the necessity of updating the government guarantying the public has a more efficient way of becoming well informed.

Becoming well informed, however, only goes so far to establishing a true democracy. To fulfill the promise of democracy, both Mick Masnick from Tech Dirt and Associate Professor at the American University Washington College of Law Amanda Frost agree that the ability to participate and gain access to lawmaking process, once informed, is the keystone of transparency. Shockingly, some disagree with open government.

To the average citizen, the prospect of transparency and access to public records is vital for keeping governments honest, efficient and free from corruption. An article in the Oklahoman newspaper covers a business advocacy group that argued against the public’s right to know, citing that the public’s knowledge of tax credits to local businesses is detrimental. Yale Professor and guest author for the popular blog Freakonomics Ian Ayers argues for less transparency in order to sometimes serve the public by offing to take away the right of candidates to know where monetary contributions come from thus reducing politician’s desires to pander only to specific people or groups. To a lesser extent, National President of the Public Relations Student Society of America Brandi Boatner, in an interview, offered that Obama does not need an official policy as long as he remains honest.

In conclusion, I feel strongly that the Obama Administration must implement and maintain a policy of openness and transparency for the sake of restoring public trust and reducing government inefficiency, bureaucracy and corruption. All policies and policymaking encompassing economic, heath care, national security, budgetary et al must be created and executed as visibly as technologically possible. We, as citizens of the United States have a guaranteed right to know how those who represent us, including private, non-elected, contractors, are accounting for everyone’s interests. We have the right know how tax money is being spent. This right to know has a root that has grown very deeply into the foundation our society and plays the most vital role in a healthy democracy.

Comprehensive source note list:

(SA1) Obama Inaugural Speech: Journalistic 1, Multimedia 1

(SA2) The Freedom of Information Act: Institutional 1

(SA3) Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Institutional 2

(SA4) BBC News: Obama pledges new ‘era of openness’: Journalistic 2, Multimedia 2

(SA5) Never before seen angle of the presidential inauguration: Journalistic 3, Image 1

(SA6) What is Government Transparency?: Academic 1

(SA7) Without access to policy making, transparency serves only as an “empty right”: Academic 2

(SA8) RE: The Freedom of Information Act: Institutional 3

(SA9) More People See Federal Government as Secretive; Nearly All Want to Know Where Candidates Stand on Transparency: Institutional 4, Image 2

(SA10) The Impact of Transparency on Foreign Direct Investment: Institutional 5

(SA11) The President Orders Transparency: Journalistic 4

(SA12) Taxpayer Transparency Act opposed by State Chamber: Journalistic 5

(SA13) Government Transparency via Open Data and Open Source: Citizen 1, Image 3

(SA14) Transparency via GAO, Academia: Citizen 2

(SA15) Who’s Against Transparency in Government? A Guest Post: Citizen 3

(SA16) New executive order means more secrecy: Institutional 6

(SA17) (SA17) Secrecy Report Card 2008: Institutional 7, Image 4

(SA18) Shouldn’t Government Transparency Be Included In The Legislative Process… Not Just The Aftermath?: Citizen 4

(SA19) Clinton WH vets doubt Obama openness vow: Journalistic 6

(SA20) Wiki White House Can Obama Use Technology to Transform Government?: Institutional 8, Multimedia 3

(SA21) “Public documents are the foundation for democracy.” Interview with Larry Coonrod: Citizen 5, Interview 1

(SA22) No policy needed. Interview with PRSSA National President Brandi Boatner: Citizen 6, Interview 2

(SA23) Mike Luckovich cartoon: Journalistic 7, Image 5

(SA24) Let there be light: Academic 3

(SA25) Due Process: The Freedom of Information Act: Journalistic 8, Multimedia 4

(SA26) Sunshine Laws should be updated for an e-world: Academic 4

(SA27) Bush Backtracks on Transparency: Academic 5

(SA28) Headzup: Freedom Of Information No More: Citizen 7, Multimedia 5

(SA29) When Transparency Kills: A Lesson From Barack Obama: Citizen 8, Multimedia 6

(SA30) “Government transparency and freedom of information … is absolutely essential in a democracy”: Citizen 9, Interview 3

Title: “Government transparency and freedom of information … is absolutely essential in a democracy” An interview with Jeremy Blachard.
Publication Information: Interview 11/March/2009
Summary: Interview with Jeremy Blanchard who is an Environmental Studies major at the University of Oregon. Blanchard is also an organizer and campus recruiter for Power Shift 09.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Citizen 9 / Interview 3
What is it? Interview
Author: Isaac Viel, interviewer. Jeremy Blanchard, Environmental Studies major at the University of Oregon, interviewee.
Date of interview: 24/Feb/2009

Q/A

Q: What is your name and what do you do? School (where/major), Work, Student Organization?
A: Jeremy Blanchard
University of Oregon, Environmental Studies
Work in the computer science department
Campus recruiter for Power Shift ’09

Q: Why do you think government transparency, openness, free of information, and oversight is a good thing?
A: Government transparency and freedom of information is not only a good thing, but it is absolutely essential in a democracy. To ensure that our elected officials are acting in the manner that we expect them to, citizens and news organizations need to be able to check up on their activities. Also, politicians will act differently if they know that their records of their actions will be visible to public eventually. This is especially true if that information will be public before they are up for re-election.

Q: How is it helpful and important to you? Any examples?
A: As an environmentalists, it has been painful to know that the Bush administration has handcuffed organizations like the EPA. Most of this was done to spare businesses from a single cent in lost profits, and it was all done in underhanded ways. If Bush’s administration had been more transparent about it’s actions and been more open to feedback, they would have felt the pressure from environmental groups and had a stronger incentive to act on that pressure.

Q: Do you think Obama should implement a policy of transparency and openness for his administration and why?
A: Yes. The stimulus package that was just passed is a great example. If we know how our money is being spent, we have the ability to A) use grassroots movements to rally against them and B) fight to make sure they don’t show up in any future stimulus bills. There are many ways we can encourage different kinds of spending if we know where the money is going, but those options are removed if the details of the stimulus bill are only given to the political elite.

Support:
Environmentalists
Bush administration
EPA
The stimulus package

Blanchard uses examples from the past and preset to help illustrate his reasons why he believes that a more transparent government is essential. As an Environment Studies major, he references his field of study by mentioning the confrontations between the Bush Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. He also talks about more current concerns such as the latest economic stimulus package and why we Americans being able to follow money trails leads to more transparency and the ability of the public to direct decision making.

Usefulness:
This interview lends real life answers to the question of why transparency is important to the health of democracy. It also helps explain why access to records helps people make informed decisions when they vote and keep tabs on their elected officials.

Works referenced / Links:
http://uopowershift09.org/
http://envs.uoregon.edu/

Special thanks to Jeremy Blanchard for his time.

Title: When Transparency Kills: A Lesson From Barack Obama
Publication Information: Published to the Tribal Seduction blog via Viddler. Uploaded 25/April/2008 (Blog post 26/April/2008)
Summary: John-Paul Micek, co-founder of Tribal Seduction who specializes in new media and marketing talks about what entrepreneurs can learn about marketing from politics, namely Obama’s campaign. The nine-minute video talks about transparency and how new media can either do harm a business, or boost it much like politics.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Citizen 8 / Multimedia 6
What is it? Video blog post (vlog)
Date: Uploaded 25/April/2008 (Blog post 26/April/2008)
Author: John-Paul Micek
Location: http://tribalseduction.com/blog/transparency-marketing-lesson-from-barrack-obama/
Accessed: 09/March/2009

Support:
Barack Obama, U.S. president
New Media
Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host
Gary Vaynerchuk, Director of Operations for Wine Library
Hillary Clinton, 2008 U.S. democratic presidential contender

John-Paul. uses the support to help build his case of why Obama was able to gain such trust and popularity and even garner the support of Oprah who called him “The one.” He also points to people who use public and private-life congruency in order to promote trust and charisma such as Gary Vaynerchuck from Wine Library.

Audience and Agenda:
Tribal Seduction is blog written to provide information about new media marketing to businesses, bloggers or anyone else looking build their online presence. John-Paul and Deborah Micek, who are the founders of the entrepreneurial development company RPM Success Group Inc, create the content for Tribal Seduction. The pair also authored the book Secrets of Online Persuasion: Captivating the Hearts, Minds and Pocketbooks of Thousands Using Blogs, Podcasts and Other New Media Marketing Tools.

Usefulness:
The video is directed toward those looking to grow their business’ client base; however, J.P. talks a lot about what businesses can learn from the Obama pledge to be more transparent. He offers reasons why being more transparent is import but also why it’s imperative that Obama be congruent in his public and private life in order to create a sense of trust. The video will be a good part of my research because it argues for more transparency in order to produce the same results but with a different outcome: more trust means more business much like the finding of the World Trade Organization which I wrote about on Feb. 11, 2009.

Works referenced / Links:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/TribalSeduction/videos/3/http://www.viddler.com/explore/TribalSeduction/videos/3/
http://tribalseduction.com/
http://www.blogcatalog.com/search.frame.php?term=tribal+seduction&id=78a3f39335ffceffddfbf4086dc4364f
http://tribalseduction.com/blog/transparency-marketing-lesson-from-barrack-obama/
http://tv.winelibrary.com/about/
http://www.internetmarketingexpertsreview.com/category/deb-jp-micek/
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Online-Persuasion-Captivating-Pocketbooks/dp/1600372139/ref=tag_dp_tp/102-7436030-1470515?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUGOVU6XBP5HL
http://www.MasterofBusinessOwnership.com/businessownerslifestyle.html

Title: Headzup: Freedom Of Information No More
Publication Information: Post to YouTube by Headzup on 5/Feb./2008
Summary: This is a caricature/video asking White House Press Secretary under George W. Bush Dana Perino why the Bush Administration decided to move the proposed Office of Government Information Services into the Justice Department, there is no funding for it effectively creating no oversight for unfulfilled FOIA requests.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Citizen 7, Multimedia 5
What is it? Caricature/video
Date: 5/March/2008
Author: Matthew Filipowicz
Location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbRDlziOG9Q
Accessed: 9/March/2009

Support:
Dana Perino, White Hose Press Secretary under George W. Bush

Audience and Agenda:
Headzup Entertainment L.L.C. is the maker of daily political cartoons marketed and delivered to cell phones. Headzup publishes short, politically-driven, comedy clips seven days a week which can be viewed on the Internet or on mobile devices. John and Joan Shay created Headzup in 2004 in order to share political satire via mobile peer-to-peer file sharing. Headzup was recently garnered the position of premier editorial cartoon for GoLeft.tv. Headzup YouTube chanel has 17,927 watched videos, 4,091 subscribers and 161,848 channel views. Their clips have been seen and/or heard on HBO, CNN, NPR, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

The caricatures that made Headzup famous are written and produced daily by Chicago-area comedian and cartoonist, Matthew Filipowicz.

Usefulness:
This is a great piece because it uses comedy to reflect real, ongoing issues presented by the Bush Administration such as proposing the Office of Government Information yet, later pulling the funding by transferring the department to the Department of Justice. The real irony of the cartoon is the punch line of Dana Perino blowing off the question by suggesting the inquisitor file a FOIA request — a definite jab at the Bush Administration and their unwillingness to be cooperative with the press.

Works referenced:
http://www.headzup.tv/aboutzup.php
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/26/leahy-foia/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbRDlziOG9Q
http://www.headzup.tv/wuhzup/
http://rncnyc2004.blogspot.com/2007/03/dana-m-perino-biography.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Perino
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5455331,00.html
http://www.matthewf.net/
http://www.youtube.com/headzup

Title: Bush Backtracks on Transparency
Publication Information: Information Management; May / June 2008, Vol. 42 Issue 3
Summary: This article outlines the George W. Bush Administration’s Open Government Act of 2007 and the new rules for how federal agencies process Freedom of Information Act requests. It also outlines the creation of the Office of Government Information Services. The act also appoints an ombudsman, whose funding later is appointed to the Department of Justice in FY ‘09, that would have the authority to settle disputes between government agencies and solicitors of government documents effectively creating a FOIA conflict of interest.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Academic 5
What is it? Article
Date: May / June 2008
Author: No Author Listed
Location: EBSCO via Knight Library online
Accessed: 08/March/2009

Support:
George W. Bush, US president
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R- Tex.)
Office of Government Information Services
Department of Justice
FY 2009 US Budget
Jim Nussle, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Inter Press Service

These sources represent help illustrate and tell the story of the Bush’s Open Government Act and his later appointment of an ombudsmen to the DOJ. The source are also lawmakers who talk about what they are doing to prevent the ombudsman’s move to the DOJ so to preserve American citizen’s rights to documents freely and independently of the agency that represents other agencies being sued in Freedom of Information Act cases.

Audience and Agenda:
Information Management journal is printed 6 times per year and follows trends in records, information management, technologies, and best practices in business. Business professional and thought leaders write its articles. IM is published by ARMA International, a professional non-profit association and authority on records management and information. The journal is directed toward businesses, researchers and information managers who deal with in information management. Their print circulating is 11,000.

Usefulness:
The article is useful because it explains how the Bush administration actually made government less transparent by signing into law the Open Government Act of 2007 and appointing a FOIA ombudsman to the department of Justice creating a conflict of interest and subsequently hindering government transparency. I can use this article to point out some of the ways that Bush tried to hinder transparency while he was in office by hiding things like the ombudsman’s move to DOJ in large policies such as the FY2009 budget.

Works referenced / Links:
http://www.arma.org/advertising/media_kit_09.pdf
http://www.arma.org/index.cfm
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=open+government+act+of+2007&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/amendment-s2488.pdf
http://historycoalition.org/2009/02/06/director-of-office-of-government-information-services-vacancy-announced/

Title: Sunshine Laws should be updated for an e-world
Publication Information: Quill article, Aug. 2005, Vol. 93 Issue 6
Summary: The article suggests bringing government into the twenty-first century by updating electronic records in the U.S. based on suggestions from the report, Louisiana’s Sunshine Laws: The Promise and Peril of New Technology, by Charlotte Bergeron. The article recommends amending state records laws to include and define e-mail and web sites as public records and change the regulation on open meetings laws requiring public groups to post meeting information, notices and minutes on their respective web sites.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Academic 4
What is it? Article
Date: August 2005
Author: Joel Campbell
Location: EBSCO via Knight Library online. Available online to SPJ members.
Accessed: 8/March/2009

Support:
Officials and journalists
State of Colorado
Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project at the University of Florida
“Experts”
Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana
Louisiana’s Sunshine Laws: The Promise and Peril of New Technology, by Charlotte Bergeron

The support in this article is used to explain that while technology is moving forward the laws surrounding public requests and open records need to be updated accordingly to reflect the increasing amount of government business conducted electronically via e-mail. The author points out the lack of definition especially for e-mails, the difficulty journalists face accessing these documents and he then goes on to point out suggestions made in the article Louisiana’s Sunshine Laws: The Promise and Peril of New Technology.

Audience and Agenda:
Quill is a national research journal founded by the Society of Professional Journalists in 1912 and serves as a podium to present ideas and research by those in the journalism industry. For the past 97 years, Quill has become a well-respected resource for journalists, industry leaders, students and educators on issues central to journalism. The journal publishes on several topics including, ethics, diversity, journalism education, international journalism and industry trends.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, a journalism fraternity, SPJ is a membership-based consortium of journalist dedicated to advocating and encouraging journalism, high standards of ethical behavior and promoting “the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry through the daily work of its nearly 10,000 members.” According to a 2001 Readex Profile Survey, Quill has circulation of 10,636 and a total readership of 21,000. Their primary audience is members of SPJ and journalists in print and broadcast media with a median age of 44.

Author Joel Campbell is co-chairman of SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee and co-chairman of the Department of Communications, Brigham Young University with an emphasis on print journalism. He has received the Roy B. Gibson Freedom of Information Award and Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism Award.

Usefulness:
This article helps establish a clear list of things the government should do in order to become more transparent and why doing so parallels modern technology, which helps to define the laws that govern open documents. This, in-turn, will help citizens and journalist access these documents and thus create a more politically-informed society.

Works referenced / Links:
http://comms.byu.edu/index.php?id=100&act=1&eid=92
http://www.spj.org/quillmediakit.asp
http://www.spj.org/aboutspj.asp
http://www.la-par.org/Publications/PDF/Sun2.pdf
http://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=612
http://comms.byu.edu/index.php?id=100&act=1&eid=92

Title: Due Process: The Freedom of Information Act
Publication Information: Due Process episode 1030, 5/Dec./2008
Summary: Brian Dickerson, columnist at the Detroit Free Press and Herschel P. Fink, partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP discuss the Freedom of Information Act, its importance and how it ensures public access to government records. Hosted by Henry Baskin.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Journalistic 8, Multimedia 3
What is it? Video talk forum
Author: Henry Baskin, host
Air Date: 5/Dec./2008
Location: http://tinyurl.com/aa7wjk
Accessed: 4/March/2009

Support:
Brian Dickerson, columnist at the Detroit Free Press
Herschel P. Fink, partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn LLP

Audience and Agenda:
Due Process is a weekly show on Detroit Public Television that discusses a wide array of topics including immigration, Social Security, divorce, debtor creditor, health insurance, foreign trade issues, Veterans rights & benefits, etc. The Show is sponsored by Meade Lexus, Cooley Law School and the Oakland County Bar Association in partnership with Oakland County Bar Foundation. According to Statbrain, Dueprocess.tv receives 661 visits per day.

Henry Baskin is a well-known entertainment attorney who has hosted the show Due Process for 20 seasons. Baskin is also a philanthropist who chairs several committees and is affiliated with a dozen different foundations and charities. He has also been named on the “Ten Most Influential Lawyers in Michigan” by Lawyer’s Weekly, and listed for 15 consecutive years in Best Lawyers in America. He is also the founder of the Baskin Family Foundation, which provides scholarship assistance to children of single-parent households in financial need.

Usefulness:
Through a series of questions, the guests on the show really nail down a solid explanation of the Freedom of Information act and why being able a to hold our public officials accountable is import. This video will be useful because it not explains the FOIA but gives specific examples of access information shine light on suspicious local government activities. The show also explains the roll of journalism and then their rights in protecting and gathering sources for stories. The guests also talk about the procedures and exemptions when filing FOIA requests.

Works referenced / Links:
http://www.dueprocess.tv/video.php?v=120508&mt=Freedom of Information Act&md=12/05/08
http://www.dueprocess.tv/show_archive.htm
http://www.freep.com/dickerson
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/6/956/953
http://www.dueprocess.tv/about.htm
http://www.statbrain.com/www.dueprocess.tv/
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/oakland/index.ssf/2008/07/exective_profile_henry_baskin.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=4355795&page=1

Title: Let there be light
Publication Information: Columbia Journalism Review editorial for January/February
Summary: Editorial recommending some steps Barack Obama should take in order to make government transparent again after the secrecy of the Bush administration. They advise Obama to restore the original intentions of both the Freedom of Information and the Presidential Records acts.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Academic 3
What is it? Editorial published in the January/February issue of Columbia Journalism Review
Author: No author listed. Editorial staff.
Location: Found through Academic Search Premier. Also available online http://www.cjr.org/editorial/let_there_be_light_1.php?page=all
Accessed: 4/March/2009

Support:
George W. Bush, former president
Dick Cheney, former vice president
“brief memos, unilateral executive orders, and signal flags”
Freedom of Information Act
Presidential Records Act
Obama’s first budget proposal
The National Security Archive
Sunshine in Government Initiative
21st Century Right to Know Project

The editorial uses this support to help present their case in a timeline fashion working from the secrecy of the Bush Administration and mishandling of the Freedom of Information Act. They move from the history of the past eight years to the proposal to Obama about what they think he should do when he takes office. It also mentions other groups who have written proposals to the Obama Administration.

Audience and Agenda:
Columbia Journalism Review is a bimonthly magazine directed toward media professionals of which, 90 percent are college graduates. According to CJ’s mission statement their objective is “to encourage and stimulate excellence in journalism in the service of a free society.” They are a double duty publication by being both a “watchdog and a friend of the press in all its forms” publishing both in print and web forms. It was founded in 1961 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and publishes six times per year and has a circulation of 19,000. CJR.org receives 7,655 visits per day according to Statbrain. Donors to the CJR include The Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Open Society Institute. In 2007, CJR had a budget of $2.3 million.

Usefulness:
This editorial is useful because it helps make the case that the Obama administration should move toward changing the policies of the federal government that have come into fruition in the past eight years of the Bush administration. What also makes the editorial useful is their choice of formatting. Also useful: They use brief, poignant descriptions and recommendations that not only the incoming administration will understand, but the layperson can understand as well. Overall, the editorial is a good compass for what changes need to be brought about and why they are important.

Works referenced:
http://www.cjr.org/about_us/mission_statement.php
http://www.cjr.org/editorial/let_there_be_light_1.php?page=all
http://www.cjr.org/advertise/about_our_readers.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Journalism_Review
http://www.soros.org/
http://www.knightfoundation.org/
http://fordfound.org/

Cartoon by Mike Luckovich. Copyright © 2009 Creators Syndicate from About.com

Title: Mike Luckovich cartoon
Publication Information: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, late January 2009. Also syndicated to 350 daily newspapers.
Summary: Mike Luckovich cartoon commenting on the extreme emphasis that the Obama administration is putting on transparency and disclosure.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Journalistic 7, Image 5
What is it? Political Cartoon
Author: Mike Luckovich
Location: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Transparency.htm
Accessed: 3/March/2009

Support: N/A

Audience and Agenda:
Originally from Seattle, Wash., Mike Luckovich is a nationally-syndicated cartoonist who has won many awards for his politically-motivated cartoons, most notably two Pulitzers and a Reuben. Although 350 newspapers nationwide publish his cartoons, his home base is at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Atlanta, Georgia’s only major daily newspaper that was formed when the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution merged in 1950. The AJ-C reaches nearly 1 million Atlanta metro residents in print Monday–Friday, 71 percent having some college and 52 percent being Male. Online, the AJ-C receives 221,513 visits per day and has an Alexa ranking of 2497. Luckovich is also a member of Creators Syndicate, which represents over 200 syndicated writers and artists and was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe.

Usefulness:
The Mike Luckovich cartoon about transparency will be useful as a visual element for my final multimedia presentation. What makes it useful is that it illustrates the extreme degree of openness that Obama promised the American People. I also read into the image that Luckovich, as part of the media, wants to hear more important updates from the president and not just any update. I think the cartoon is also useful because it shows that statements about one’s government can be made with both words and images. Luckovich is also an important part of American media and has spent a lot of time observing politicians.

Works referenced:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Transparency.htm
http://www.truthdig.com/about/staff/48
http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/opinion/luckovichjan09/
http://www.creators.com/editorialcartoons/mike-luckovich/archive.html?DATE_START=2009-01-18
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Luckovich
http://www2.youraudiencedelivered.com/print/daily-ajc.html
http://www.statbrain.com/www.ajc.com/
http://www2.youraudiencedelivered.com/digital/ajccom.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_S._Newcombe

Title: No policy needed, Interview with PRSSA National President Brandi Boatner
Publication Information: Phone interview 25/Feb/2009
Summary: Telephone interview with Brandi Boatner, national president of Public Relations Student Society of America and first year graduate student at Hawaii Pacific University.

Topic: Should the Obama administration implement a strong policy of openness and transparency?
Category: Citizen 6, Interview 2
What is it? Interview
Date of interview: 25/Feb/2009
Author: Isaac Viel, interviewer. Brandi Boatner, interviewee and National president for the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Q/A* **

Q: What are transparency and openness and why is it important in your line of work?
A: “Transparency is the free flow of accurate and truthful information … that contributes to making informed decisions in a democratic society. When serving the public “It’s import that your information is accurate and truthful and transparency is the opposite of privacy,” she said.

Q: Should the Obama administration implement a policy of openness and transparency and why do you think so?
A: No. “I do not think that there needs to be a policy that tells people that they need to tell the truth or that they need accurate information. I don’t think that needs to happen and I don’t think the Obama administration needs to implement anything of that nature.”

Boatner then went on to talk about Obama’s willingness to admit mistakes. “After any mistake at all, the president is the first to say ‘I made a mistake.’”

“So I don’t think a policy is needed, when the president, and I suspect his administration, are already demonstrating such professional values when it comes to the free flow of information.”

Q: Why would you think Obama openness and honesty is important to the American public?
A: “Well, he’s the leader of the free world, and if the leader of the free world is not honest and open then what does that say for the rest of us? We elected him and he represents us … he’s serving our interests.”

Usefulness:
Boatner’s interview will be helpful since it strays from the norm, that Obama should implement a policy of openness and transparency. Although Boatner talks about the importance transparency has on a democracy, she feels that Obama does not need an actual policy as long as he remains open and honest to those who he serves.

Works referenced / Links:
http://www.prssa.org/history/BrandiBoatner.asp
http://www.prssa.org/about/default.asp

*Some questions and answers have been paraphrased but represent accurately the views and opinions expressed by both the interviewer and interviewee. Quoted material is direct quotation.

** The personal views expressed by Brandi Boater are not intended to represent the views of PRSSA or its members and affiliates.

Special thanks to Brandi Boatner for her time.