Report Reflects the Continuing Shadow of Secrecy

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Noting that “the inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina shows the public needs to know what could happen in their communities and what the response plans are,” Open the Government released its second federal Secrecy Report Card, tallying the withholding of information across a broad range of government activities. It calculated that spending on the classification of information exceeded spending on declassification by 148 to one in 2004, a 23 percent increase. The report also said that there are now at least 50 new restrictions being routinely used by agencies to withhold unclassified information. (9/6/05)