On President Obama’s first day in office, he established new ethics rules that encourage federal agencies to be more transparent. President Obama’s Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies reads in part:
The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears. Nondisclosure should never be based on an effort to protect the personal interests of Government officials at the expense of those they are supposed to serve.
The presumption of disclosure also means that agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government. Disclosure should be timely.
In my opinion, this is the beginning of a period in time when transparency will be expected. All organizations, especially government agencies and non-profits should be seeking ways to quickly make available public information. Appearing to cover-up public information could quickly become a public relations nightmare.
