Anti-Secrecy Coalition Takes Off with 'Ten Most Wanted' List; OpenTheGovernment.org Survey Finds Americans Want More Access

4/15/2004

From: Rick Blum, 202-234-8494 ext. 238, for OpenTheGovernment.org

News Advisory:

WHAT: News Conference to Launch OpenTheGovernment.org Coalition & Release Survey Report on "Ten Most Wanted Government Documents" for 2004

WHEN: Thursday, April 15, 2 p.m.

WHERE: National Press Club Zenger Room, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C.

WHO: Leaders of the new 33-member coalition, OpenTheGovernment.org

The "Ten Most Wanted Government Documents" list targets secrecy in all three branches of government and is the result of an Internet survey, in which respondents were asked to rank documents covering a broad spectrum of issues, from women's rights to animal welfare to our government's fight against terrorism. Roughly 500 people completed the online survey. Of these, 76 percent said they have personally accessed federal government information within the last two years. See www.OpenTheGovernment.org for background, a list of the 33 coalition members and the full report (2 p.m. April 15).

Across the many issues covered by the list of Ten Most Wanted Documents, three themes stood out:

-- First, respondents expressed a deep skepticism about the information the government provides.

-- Second, the government should do more to make its day-to-day operations open to the public.

-- Finally, the government should reverse its unprecedented expansion of secrecy and give the public a more open and complete accounting for its efforts to make our communities safer.

List of the Ten Most Wanted Documents for 2004

1. The 28 Pages: Secret Pages of the Congressional Joint Inquiry into 9/11 Intelligence Failures

2. Type of crime investigated each time a Patriot Act power was invoked

3. A list of the contaminants found in the sources of our drinking water

4. A number of court cases partially or totally closed to the public and an explanation why for each

5. Industry-written reports on chemical plants' risks to communities

6. Identities of those detained after 9/11 on immigration charges or as material witnesses

7. Gifts from lobbyists to Senators and their staff

8. Federal contracts, grants and other agreements, their total value (in dollars), records documenting violations, and fines and other federal enforcement actions

9. All changes made to publicly available versions of congressional legislation before a committee vote

10. Congressional Research Service Reports.