Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy? Accessing Government Records in the Wake of 9/11/2001

Abstract

Access to some federal government records has become more difficult since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Some records previously opened have been reclassified. Records related to the infrastructure of cities, construction plans of government buildings, development of military weapons, biological warfare subjects, and biographical information on U. S. citizens were the first categories to be tightened. Historians should keep a watchful eye on these developments. Balancing issues of national security with the public's right to government information is a crucial debate in a democracy that depends on information to make proper judgments about the workings of government.

Homeland security and citizen response to emergency situations: a perspective on the need for a policy approach to information access

“…Policy Sci (2009) 42:195-210 201 appropriateness of information restriction and/or withholding decisions needs to be judged in terms of associated trade-offs in social value (Dahl 2004;Gozdor et al 2003;Pozen 2005;Tombs 2005;Smock 2003). It would thus seem reasonable that federal agencies formulate, publish, and adopt balancing criteria to guide the management of potentially sensitive public information.…”