If you don’t know how your money is being spent, if you don’t know how decisions are being made, if you don’t know who is influencing what, how do you know really what you support or what you oppose? How do you know how to engage in your community?
-Martha Mendoza, TEDxSanta Cruz, September 15, 2012
Martha Mendoza (Photo credit: nick3609)
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is an important federal tool for the press, but it is also an important tool for the non-press alike. It’s important for you. Martha Mendoza, Pulitzer-prize winning Associated Press journalist, explains in a TEDx talk why she believes that government documents are absolutely essential. She says, “If you go in and you whine and you complain and try to bring about change, you’re not going to have the power that you do if you have it right here on paper.” Government documents, open records, open meetings. They all should matter to you.
Martha explains in her talk how the freedom of information laws around the world have been used to make very real change.
On the state level, in Iowa, we have open records (Chapter 22) and open meetings (Chapter 21). The Iowa Freedom of Information Council produces a booklet on the laws for a small fee.
Government documents hold the truth. The truth always matters. The truth really does set us free.
-Martha Mendoza, TEDxSanta Cruz, September 15, 2012
Mount Vernon-Lisbon Spotlight 
I couldn’t agree more that openness and the ability to see what government does (and tries to hide) is very important. The Korean War example in the video was especially striking how important that is, though beyond unfortunate that it took 50+ years to expose. I hadn’t known about the foia.gov website, so that’s good to know, and a useful step towards reducing unnecessary delays in the visibility the act gives.