Freedom of Information Audits and Government Transparency from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

Excessive bureaucratic delays have kept many Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from being fulfilled in a timely manner, making our government less open than it should be, the New York Times said in an editorial this week, citing the work of the Knight-funded National Security Archive.

The editorial’s title, “What’s Secret About World War II,” refers to the oldest unfulfilled FOIA request on record: Filed in 1991, the request asks for documents about atomic energy negotiations between the US and its allies at the close of World War II.  And as we previously noted, eight different federal agencies have pending requests over a decade old.

The Obama administration has helped to federal agencies’ FOIA responsiveness, the Times wrote. But the 2011 Knight Open Government Survey found that only 49 out of 90 federal agencies have followed new White House protocol to improve the FOIA process.

The Times wrote: “Congress has amended the law six times over the years, in hopes of improving citizens’ access. It is back on the case with proposals for a commission to pinpoint problems and propose solutions. Surely taxpayers deserve an even stronger fix as the shadows linger and lengthen.” The Senate has recently passed the Faster FOIA Act, but it continues to await consideration in the House.

Knight Foundation’s recent FOIA work supporting a campaign for open government, Sunshine Week; support for a U.S.-hosted World Press Freedom Day; open government technology including apps with Sunlight Foundation, as well as legal resources for reporters through the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.