US ranks 41 out of 180 in global press freedom

From BoingBoing:

Uruguay, Namibia, Samoa, Ghana, and South Africa all offer a greater "level of freedom of information” than the United States, according to Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index. The U.S. is ranked at 41 out of 180 countries in the survey.

RSF says the U.S. moved from 49th place in 2015 up to 41 this year, but "relative improvement by comparison hides overall negative trends." In other words, we're still screwed on press freedom, and the future doesn't look great.

From NPR's Laura Wagner, on The Two-Way:

Citing the U.S. government's "war on whistleblowers who leak information about its surveillance activities, spying and foreign operations, especially those linked to counter-terrorism," and the country's lack of a "shield law" that would allow journalists to protect confidential sources, the report takes a decidedly negative view of U.S. press freedom.

Center files motion for leave to appeal in FOIL lawsuit

The Empire Center for New York State Policy has asked the state's highest court to review an appellate decision that would hide public information from public view. The Center's efforts have been bolstered by an amicus brief filed on behalf of the state's leading newspapers.

In an October 18 ruling, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Manhattan denied the Empire Center's appeal of a lower court decision in favor of the New York City Police Pension Fund, which had refused to comply with the Empire Center's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for a list of the fund's pension recipients.

The full release can be viewed here.

2009 Rosemary Award for Worst FOIA Performance Goes to FBI

From the report: The Federal Bureau of Investigation won the fifth annual Rosemary Award for the worst Freedom of Information Act performance by a federal agency. The FBI’s reports to Congress show that the Bureau is unable to find any records in response to two-thirds of its incoming FOIA requests on average over the past four years, when the other major government agencies averaged only a 13% "no records" response to public requests.

During fiscal year 2008, the FBI gave "no records" responses to 57% of the requests it processed, more than any other major agency. The Bureau only provided documents (most redacted) in less than 14% of cases — the lowest percentage of requests granted among the major agencies in the federal government. In 2007, the FBI responded with “no records” in 70% of its FOIA requests. In 2006, "no records" peaked at 74%; and in 2005, at 66% — the four-year average.