SPJ and health journalists urge FDA to stop impeding journalists’ interviews
The Association of Health Care Journalists and SPJ are fed up with federal agencies’ use of public information officers to chill the flow of information. The two groups sent a letter this week to the FDA urging the agency to stop requiring interviews between reporters and government employees to be approved by PIOs and attended by PIOs.
This practice has become widespread throughout all levels of government, and it needs to stop. While PIOs play an important role in answering questions and facilitating interviews, they are hampering the flow of information when acting as delaying middle-men or go-betweens. Having information transmitted through a middle person is hearsay and fraught with accuracy problems – a disservice to the public.
If you cover an agency that practices this form of information control, don’t put up with it. Request that the higher-ups put an end to it. And if they don’t see the importance of direct communication, then circumvent the Big Brother channels and talk to people directly, as journalists must do to ensure accuracy. It’s our duty to get it right.
Here is the letter sent to the FDA this week (thanks to Kathryn Foxhall from the Association of Health Care Journalists for coordinating this effort – she did an outstanding job):
To the FDA Task Force on Transparency:
The organizations below, representing thousands of journalists, strongly urge the Food and Drug Administration to end practices that restrict the flow of information to the public. The free flow of information is essential to democracy. But in matters of health, even more is at stake: the ability of citizens to live healthful and productive lives.
We object to the requirement that journalists and FDA employees notify or obtain permission from an official to conduct an interview. And we object to public information officers listening to interviews. These relatively new practices hinder reporters’ ability to learn the truth by inhibiting and sometimes barring employees from providing essential information.
Nearly all prior administrations allowed open communication between agency employees and the media. The FDA should restore this policy.
Public information officers can play an important role in answering questions and facilitating interviews. But when they forbid, delay or monitor contact between reporters and employees, they interfere with the public’s right to know and can delay access to timely information necessary to protect and advance public health. Usually the most accurate information comes from federal employees closest to the facts, not a go-between. These practices are a disservice to Americans.
In keeping with President Obama’s promise to make government more transparent and accountable, we hope FDA will end these harmful practices and restore the free flow of information.
We are happy to discuss this letter further with you. To follow up, please contact Kathryn Foxhall at (301) 779-8239 and kfoxhall@verizon.net. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Association of Health Care Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists