The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has slightly relaxed some requirements for secrecy on decisions it makes on "critical energy infrastructure."
The Oct. 18, 2007 issue of Congressional Research Service has published a useful backgrounder on the current lack of a "shield law" protecting reporters from legal penalties, including jail, when they refuse prosecutors' requests to disclose the identities of confidential sources.
Consumers who want to choose milk produced without the use of artificial hormones are out of luck - if they live in Pennsylvania. That is not a choice the state will allow them.
Shirley E. Scheier, a University of Washington fine-arts professor, was handcuffed, frisked, and detained for 44 minutes when she took some art photos of powerlines against the sky in Snohomish County, Washington.
Even as major companies recalled their shipments of hamburgers made with possibly tainted meat, beef and pork lobbyists worked hard to keep U.S meat eaters from finding out what was going on. They lobbied to amend the Farm Bill to include secrecy language that would make make it illegal for anyone to publicly disclose such information. SEJ and other journalism organization are urging senators to remove that language from the bill.
The National Response Center has changed its policy on releasing chemical accident reports, making it much harder for journalists to gather crucial information about hazardous materials spills on deadline.
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) urged Congress to use its funding power to establish a new independent "ombudsman" office.
"Environment Canada has 'muzzled' its scientists around the country, ordering them to refer all media queries to Ottawa.
David Schwartz, the embattled director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), resigned the post Feb. 8, 2008
Reporters looking for help in penetrating the labyrinth of federal information have a new ally: librarians.
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