The following letter was sent Friday, Jan. 23, to President Barack Obama on behalf of the members of the Online News Association:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
On behalf of the 1,800 members of the Online News Association, I thank you for your quick and decisive action in issuing your Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, Presidential Memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act and Executive Order on Presidential Records. Your stated commitment to a free press and transparency and accountability in government displays ideals we hope will presage a new era of credibility in government.
As the fastest growing membership organization for digital journalists worldwide, representing major and independent news media, bloggers, technologists and academics across all platforms, we especially applaud your directive to agencies to use technology to make information available to the public.
We were encouraged in April, when you demonstrated your support of a free press and open government with your endorsement of the Free Flow of Information Act. The memoranda and Executive Order issued January 21 are further steps in the right direction, honoring the public’s right to know.
We look forward to working with you on the new and complex issues arising from the growth of digital media, and watching your administration’s progress on opening up government to public scrutiny.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Dube
President
Online News Association
jdube@journalists.org
Blast Magazine is a member of the Online News Association.
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