In the age of information, what does freedom of information really mean? Does it mean we can surf the web for hours on end, and read all the newspapers and blogs online that our eyes and brains can withstand? Sure, it can mean these things, but then we have to ask ourselves “What are we doing with all this information we’re taking in?”
Full disclosure here: I don’t spend all my waking hours pondering what freedom of information really means. And just like everyone else, I am happy to turn on my laptop, take what I need and go along my merry way. But when I saw that March 16th is Freedom of Information Day (and James Madison’s birthday) as decreed by the 101st Congress’ 1989 Joint Resolution, I thought to myself “Hey, not so fast! There is more to it than I thought.”
To that end, the NYPL’s annual Freedom of Information lecture/discussion, held at the Science Industry Business Library branch, is a good event to attend if you want to ponder this idea and take it to the next level. This year the library invited Robert Weissman, “an expert on economic, health care, trade and globalization, intellectual property and regulatory policy, and issues related to financial accountability and corporate responsibility” (what a lot of expertise!) with the advocacy group Public Citizen.
Mr. Weissman started off his talk by reminding us via Power Point slide that “information is power” — which we all know on some vague level — before going onto his next slide, which had these big words on it: UNTIL IT ISN’T.
That’s right, UNTIL IT ISN’T.
So, we may go around thinking that information is out there for the taking whenever we want it, but in many instances this is not true. In fact, not all information is created equal — yes you can go ahead and find out what where that taco truck is going to be tonight, but you might experience some push-back when looking into who’s giving the big bucks to the PAC that’s supporting Candidate X or Y or what a government agency like the Department of Defense is up to lately.
Well, it’s a good thing we have FOIA on our side. The Freedom of Information Act gives us regular citizens the ability to access information from our government. No, it’s not perfect. It can take a long time to get the information and what you get can be heavily edited (sentences crossed out with a thick Sharpie). But it is a step in the right direction in creating an open and transparent government.
Secrecy, we have learned, can be a boon to both the government and big corporations that seek to promote their own agendas and bottom lines. If you were a big chemical company would you choose to publicize what toxins you’re dumping into the local river or just keep that under wraps? Under the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory Program, the community can find out what is going into their environment and become empowered to act upon that information by holding the company to task.
But at the end of the day, we have to act upon the information we gather — otherwise, it is just a bunch of words on a page… or screen. So go ahead, exercise your power to get that taco, find out what’s in the water, and then act.
Hello Clenira,
Thanks for your comment/question. I think the first step to good writing is to read a lot of everything––articles, newspapers, fiction, non-fiction, anything you like, really. From there you can gain a sense of different writing styles which can help in developing your own voice. Also, in writing for an audience, it is important think about how you will get to your point as quickly and fluidly as possible.
And, don’t forget, you have to write, write, write if you want to get good at it.
Of course, there is a lot more to say about this topic, so feel free to email me at jiwonny@gmail.com or keep commenting here if you’d like to continue the dialogue.
Good luck!
Jiwon