Transparency in Politics and the Media a Ccountability and Open Government
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EXTRACT TRANSPARENCY IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA A CCOUNTABILITY AND OPEN GOVERNMENT Edited by NIGEL BOWLES, JAMES T. HAMILTON, and DAVID A. L. LEVY REUTERS INSTITUTE forthe STUDY of JOURNALISM Published by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd in association with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 3 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT About the Book Increasingly, governments around the world are experimenting with initiatives in transparency or ‘open government’. These involve a variety of measures including the announcement of more user-friendly government websites, greater access to government data, the extension of freedom of information legislation and broader attempts to involve the public in government decision-making. However, the role of the media in these initiatives has not hitherto been examined. This volume analyses the challenges and opportunities presented to journalists as they attempt to hold governments accountable in an era of professed transparency. In examining how transparency and open government initiatives have affected the accountability role of the press in the US and the UK, it also explores how policies in these two countries could change in the future to help journalists hold governments more accountable. This volume will be essential reading for all practising journalists, for students of journalism or politics, and for policymakers. ‘This book’s prescient examination of transparency and accountability comes at a crucial moment for both the media and open government. This important document should be pondered and then become a catalyst for powerful action – by both media and government.’ Alex S. Jones, Director, Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press , Politics and Public Policy, and Laurence M. Lombard Lecturer in the Press and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government About the Editors Nigel Bowles is Director of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford. James T. Hamilton is Charles S. Sydnor Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Political Science and Economics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. David A. L. Levy is Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. What follows is a short extract from this book. More information can be found at: www.ibtauris.com/reuters EXTRACT The Reuters Institute would like to acknowledge the assistance of Richard Sambrook and Robert G. Picard as readers on behalf of the Institute. Published in 2014 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright Editorial Selection and Introduction © 2014 Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, and David A. L. Levy Copyright Individual Chapters © 2014 Philip Bennett, Patrick Birkinshaw, Paul Bradshaw, Sarah Cohen, Leonard Downie Jr., Joel Gurin, Robert Hazell, Jennifer LaFleur, Charles Lewis, John Lloyd, Helen Margetts, Beth Simone Noveck, Peter Riddell, Michael Schudson, Benjamin Worthy The right of Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, and David A. L. Levy to be identified as the editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978 1 78076 675 1 (HB); 978 1 78076 676 8 (PB) A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available Typeset by 4word Ltd, Bristol Printed and bound in Great Britain by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 4 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT C ontents List of Tables and Figures vii List of Contributors ix Introduction xi Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, and David A. L. Levy 1. Origins of the Freedom of Information Act in the United States 1 Michael Schudson 2. Impact of Transparency on Accountability 19 Peter Riddell 3. The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act in the UK 31 Benjamin Worthy and Robert Hazell 4. Valuing Transparency in Government and Media 49 Patrick Birkinshaw 5. Transparencies 73 John Lloyd 6. Transparency and Public Policy: Where Open Government Fails Accountability 95 Sarah Cohen 7. Truth Vigilantes: On Journalism and Transparency 103 Philip Bennett v 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 5 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT TRANSPARENCY IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA 8. Data and Transparency: Perils and Progress 123 Jennifer LaFleur 9. The Transparency Opportunity: Holding Power to Account – or Making Power Accountable? 141 Paul Bradshaw 10. Data, Data Everywhere: Open Data versus Big Data in the Quest for Transparency 167 Helen Margetts 11. Corporations and Transparency: Improving Consumer Markets and Increasing Public Accountability 179 Joel Gurin and Beth Simone Noveck 12. The Rise of NGOs and Nonprofit Media 197 Charles Lewis 13. Keeping American Accountability Journalism Alive 215 Leonard Downie Jr. Index 233 vi 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 6 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT C ontributors Philip Bennett is Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy, Duke University. Patrick Birkinshaw is Professor of Public Law and Director of the Institute of European Public Law, University of Hull. Paul Bradshaw is a reader in Online Journalism at Birmingham City University and a Visiting Professor at City University’s School of Journalism in London. Nigel Bowles is Director of the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford. Sarah Cohen is a reporter at the New York Times. Leonard Downie Jr. is Weil Family Professor of Journalism, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, and Vice President at large and former executive editor of the Washington Post. Joel Gurin is Senior Advisor at the Governance Lab at New York University. James T. Hamilton is Charles S. Sydnor Professor of Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. Robert Hazell is Professor of British Politics and Government and Director of the Constitution Unit, University College London. ix 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 9 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT TRANSPARENCY IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA Jennifer LaFleur is Director of Computer-Assisted Reporting, ProPublica. David A. L. Levy is Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. Charles Lewis is Professor and Executive Editor, Investigative Reporting Workshop, at the American University School of Communication. John Lloyd is Director of Journalism, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, and a contributing editor to the Financial Times and a columnist for Reuters.com. Helen Margetts is Director of the Oxford Internet Institute and Professor of Society and the Internet, University of Oxford. Beth Simone Noveck is Founder and Director of the Governance Lab and The Jacob K. Javits Visiting Professor at the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab. She is on leave as Professor of Law at New York Law School. Peter Riddell is Director of the Institute for Government and a former political journalist for the Financial Times and The Times. Michael Schudson is a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Benjamin Worthy is a lecturer in the Department of Politics, Birkbeck, University of London. x 00_Transparency in Politics and the Media_Prelims_i-xxiv.indd 10 01/10/2013 17:00 EXTRACT I ntroduction Nigel Bowles, James T. Hamilton, and David A. L. Levy Around the world, governments are experimenting with initiatives in transparency and open government. These involve announcements of new government websites, more access to government datasets, and broader attempts to involve the public in government decision-making. The role of the media in open government, however, is often left unremarked and unexamined. This book explores the particular challenges and opportunities that journalists face in holding governments accountable in an era of professed transparency. On his first day in office, President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government that emphasised that govern- ment should be transparent, participatory, and collaborative. Prime Minister Cameron has similarly emphasised the value of opening up government data to wider access. Open government commitments have also become part of international policy discussions, with the adoption and implementation of national freedom of information laws in countries such as India, Mexico, and South Africa attracting widespread attention. In the US and UK many of these initiatives focus on data helpful to people in their role as consumers (rather than voters), or aim to draw on knowledge from citizens or experts to aid in the development of policies and regulations. To examine how transparency