John Podesta Receives
2001 James Madison Award
John Podesta, White House chief of staff under President Clinton, is the recipient of the 12th annual James Madison Award, which recognizes efforts to promote government openness.
A longtime proponent of an open and accountable government, Podesta organized White House staff opposition to the Official Secrets Act, which was vetoed by Clinton despite its unanimous passage by the U.S. Senate and the backing of the Department of Justice and the CIA. Podesta also played a key role in Clinton’s executive order setting higher standards for classifying documents, which resulted in more declassified material in five years than had been produced during all previous presidential administrations combined.
American Library Association President Nancy Kranich called Podesta “a consistent and leading advocate for openness and public disclosure of government information during his long and honorable public service with the Senate and the Clinton administration.”
The Madison award is sponsored by ALA. It was presented March 16, Freedom of Information Day and James Madison’s birthday, in a ceremony at the Freedom Forum in Arlington, Virginia.
Posted March 26, 2001.
|
