8 ways the Obama administration is blocking information

Associated Press’ list of eight ways the Obama administration is making it hard for journalists to find information and cover the news:

1. As the United States ramps up its fight against Islamic militants, the public can’t see any of it.
2. The White House once fought to get cameramen, photographers and reporters into meetings the President had with foreign leaders overseas. That access has become much rarer.
3. Guantanamo: The big important 9/11 trial is finally coming up. But we aren’t allowed to see most court filings in real time -- even of nonclassified material.
4. Information about Guantanamo that was routinely released under President George W. Bush is now kept secret.
5. Day-to-day intimidation of sources is chilling. Government press officials say their orders are to squelch anything controversial or that makes the administration look bad.
6. One of the media -- and public’s -- most important legal tools, the Freedom of Information Act, is under siege. Requests for information under FOIA have become slow and expensive. Many federal agencies simply don’t respond at all in a timely manner, forcing news organizations to sue each time to force action.
7. The Administration uses FOIAs as a tip service to uncover what news organizations are pursuing. Requests are now routinely forwarded to political appointees.
8. The Administration is trying to control the information that state and local officials can give out. The FBI has directed local police not to disclose details about surveillance technology the police departments use to sweep up cellphone data. In some cases, federal officials have formally intervened in state open records cases, arguing for secrecy.