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Fighting back for freedom
155/Julie-ann Davies
DATELINE: 26/12/06
The Campaign for Freedom of Information (CFOI) has submitted a formal response to the Department for Constitutional Affairs regarding proposed changes to the Freedom of Information Act. (FOIA).
Additionally the campaign is encouraging members of the public to sign an online petition urging the Government to reject the proposals.
Three major changes are being discussed. The first is the introduction of a standard fee for all requests. At the moment, applications made under the FOIA are processed without charge.
Applicants can be requested to pay for photocopying charges but not for the time taken to gather the information, provided that the cost for this falls below the limit. (£600 for Government departments, £450 for other public bodies.)
There are widespread concerns that introducing standardised application charges will prevent many, especially those on low incomes, from accessing information under the Act.
The second proposal is to aggregate the costs of multiple requests made by a single applicant and refuse those applications if their combined cost exceeds the limit. This can already be done with different requests made by the same applicant on the same subject but it is proposed to extend this to also cover requests made on different subjects. This could further limit access to the Act by the public, journalists, media outlets and campaigning organisations.
Thirdly, it is proposed that the cost limit should take into account the amount of time taken by officials and civil servants to consider requests. This could present an insurmountable obstacle to complicated or "sensitive" requests - as the time taken in merely debating such applications could be enough to raise costs past the prescribed limit. Additionally, this proposal provides a golden opportunity for those wishing to circumvent the legislation and avoid releasing information.
Clearly, if passed, these changes will impact severely on the amount of information released under the auspices of the Act and limit public access. Maurice Frankel, Director of CFOI, told FreePress: "The Government’s proposals would severely undermine the Freedom of Information Act as a tool for holding Government to account.
"Any complex, probing or potentially contentious request would be likely to be refused simply because the time needed to consider the issues involved could be taken into account in future.
"Once this exceeded a set limit, they could refuse to process the request, regardless of the public interest in the subject. The public would get less information and Government will be shielded from scrutiny.
"The Government is also planning to allow authorities to add together the costs of all requests made to it by the same organisation or individual and refuse them if their combined cost exceeds the cost limit.
"In practice this would limit the press, campaigners and others to perhaps just one request per quarter to a Government department or authority - preventing any kind of systematic monitoring or scrutiny of decisions.
"These proposals are an attempt to neuter the Freedom of Information Act, and we hope people will not only sign the online petition but ask their MPs to oppose these changes."
The petition can be found at: petitions.pm.gov.uk/freeinformation and further information and updates areavailable on the Campaign for Freedom of Information’s website. www.cfoi.org.uk
LINKSThe FoI petition
The Campaign for Freedom of Information
Last modified: Tuesday, December 26, 2006
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Free Speech & Censorship
Access all areas?
Secrets trial to be secret
Libel ruling is victory for British journalism
Memoirs and Whistleblowers
Shayler Silenced
Official Secrets Act: Where are we now?
The Price of Freedom
Another success for British justice
MI5 whistleblower back in court
The Danish cartoon controversy and World Press Freedom Day
Improving Cultural Communication
The Need for Context
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFEX conference highlights freedom of expression
Statement of Media Professionals Meeting to Discuss the Danish Cartoons Controversy
Freedom of Expression or Hate Speech
Religion and Freedom of the Press
CPBF response to the cartoons
Cover-ups, lies and censorship
CPBF response to the cartoons
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFJ call for debate as cartoons cost editor his job
All the news that doesn't fit
Gagging the truth
Borris Johnson vows 'I'll go to jail to print the truth'
UK paper gagged over Aljazeera memo
Freedom of Information Blockage
FoI training from the Campaign for Freedom of information
Journalists worldwide protest Canada's news lockout
Australia gets tough on journalists
