Needed: A Transparency Guardian
Our FOIA system was once the world’s gold standard. Here’s how it became sclerotic—and what we need to do to fix it.
By Margaret Kwoka, Democracy, Winter 2025
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When the Freedom of Information Act was enacted in 1966, it was revolutionary. Its basic premise—that ordinary citizens have a right to know what the government knows—radically reimagined the relationship between the public and the federal government. . . . But more than a half-century after Congress passed this landmark legislation, it is clear that FOIA largely has not—and cannot—live up to its mission.
The core problem is this: There is no arm of the U.S. government that champions transparency. No government agency embodies a transparency mission; no court possesses transparency expertise. FOIA provides a core right for the public to access government records, but it lacks a locus for implementation and enforcement. . . .
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