Isn't It Time to End the Congressional "Work Product" Fiction for CRS Reports?

"In 1822, James Madison explained why citizens must have government information: 'A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.' In the spirit of Madison, we ask you to appoint a Director of CRS who will help advance the goal of online free public access to CRS reports." Quoting from the letter to the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, signed by nearly 40 organizations, listed below, concerned with government openness and accountability.

The letter urges Dr. Billington to appoint a CRS director who will work with Congress to provide online free public access to the unclassified, non-confidential, taxpayer-funded reports produced by CRS, stating "the public needs access to these non-confidential CRS reports in order to discharge their civic duties."

Hat tip to Pat Court, Associate Law Librarian and Lecturer in Law, Cornell Law Library. [JH]

AhEeCOSH American Association of Law Libraries American Library Association American Society of News Editors Association of Research Libraries Bill of Rights Defense Committee CAUS Center for Democracy and Technology Center for Media and Democracy Center for Responsive Politics Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Defending Dissent Foundation DownsizeDC.org, Inc. Essential Information Federation of American Scientists Free Government Information Government Accountability Project (GAP) iSolon.org Knowledge Ecology International

Liberty Coalition MapLight.org National Coalition Against Censorship National Freedom of Information Coalition National Security Counselors No More Guantanamos OMB Watch OpenTheGovernment.org Point of Order Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Public Citizen Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press RS&S INTERNATIONAL, LLC Society of Academic Law Library Directors Society of Professional Journalists Special Libraries Association Sunlight Foundation University of Missouri Freedom of Information Center Washington Coalition for Open Government