Media Roundup

The following stories appeared in the media over Xmas and New Year:

You can watch a new story on video on FOI at the BBC news website

There is also a Radio 4 programme "The World Tonight" you can listen to

Of particluar note in the Media was the comment piece in the Guardian by Lord Falconer stating that " when government departments receive requests under the FOI legislation which are of general public interest, government departments will publish the responses. Some FOI inquiries will obviously be of very narrow interest, but many will be of wider public interest". The aim seeming to be and try and prempt any news stories and possibly release further supplementary data. Time will tell and anaysis of disclosure will be required to assess how this is used as "spin" tool.

FOI disclosure

Daily Telegraph - Anonymous query unearths true cost of ministers' cars

Daily Telegraph -Which of these house guests was Tony Blair embarrassed about?

BBC - Iraq war advice secrecy defended

Scotsman - Call for Public Register of PM's Meetings

Independent on Sunday - Lawyers acting for disgruntled Railtrack shareholders are preparing to use the Freedom of Information Act

Introduction of FOI

Campaign for FOI- Press release

Friends of the Earth- Press release

New Guardian FOI website

BBC - Openess law reveals news papers

BBC - Need to know is right to know

BBC - Right to information becomes law

BBC - So you want to see the PM's memos..?

Observer- Chaos looms as new law opens up state secrets

Birmingham Post- CITY fears information act docu-drama

The Times - Q and A

The Sunday Times - Firms are urged to enjoy freedom of information

Daily Telegraph - Your right to know (what they'll tell us)

Daily Telegraph - Freedom of information may have to wait

The Independent - Robert Hazell: Fear of information stalks corridors of Whitehall

File detruction stories

Independent - Shredded!

Guardian - File destruction doubled ahead of new information act

BBC - No hard eviedence of shredding

BBC - watchdog probes email deletions

BBC - Whitehall shedding more files

BBC - Howard condemns e-mail deletion


Scotland

The Scotsman - Freedom of information suppressed by secretive Holyrood

The Scotsman - Freedom Act Will Transform Writing of History

The Evening Times - Holyrood hits back at claims of files purge

Sector specific

Brimingham Post- Police fear over Information Act

E-Health - Six in ten NHS organisations 'ready' for FOI

Eastern daily Press- Hospital e-mails set to be deleted

Financial Times - Disclosure demands set to grow