Freedom of Information Day
Celebrates Access
An all-day invitational conference brought more than 100 participants to Arlington, Virginia, March 16 to celebrate Freedom of Information Day. Titled “Access to Information: Strategies and Solutions,” the event was sponsored by the Freedom Forum in cooperation with the American Library Association.
Paul McMasters, First Amendment advocate at the Freedom Forum, said the conference was intended to broaden the core of people devoted to the issue of access to government information. The program included a keynote speech by John Podesta, White House chief of staff, who talked about the Clinton Administration’s support for openness in government and the need to balance that with the secrecy that is necessary in some instances. The program also featured spirited panel debates on “When FOIA Requests Wind Up in Court,” “Posting Chemical Plant Worst-Case Scenarios on the Net,” and “A Success Story: Release of JFK Assassination Records.”
ALA president Ann Symons initiated the forum as part of her presidential theme, “Celebrate the Freedom to Read, Learn, Connect @ the Library.”
Posted March 22, 1999.
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