Federal Government Seen as Increasingly Secretive; National Opinion Poll Finds Privacy Concerns Rising

WASHINGTON, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Americans increasingly
suspect the federal government has become cloaked in secrecy, a concern
they don’t have with their local and state governments.

People also overwhelmingly believe that their federal leaders have
become sneaky, listening to telephone conversations or opening private mail
without getting court permission, according to a survey of 1,008 adults
commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors for national
Sunshine Week, March 11-17.

By a 2-1 margin, people want FBI agents and other investigators to
obtain search warrants before monitoring private communications, even if
they suspect terrorism. And more than a quarter of the people in the survey
said they suspect their own phone calls and letters have been intercepted.

The poll, conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University,
found that concerns about federal secrecy are rising.

Twenty-five percent believe the federal government is either “very
open” or “somewhat open,” while 69 percent said it’s either “somewhat
secretive” or “very secretive.”

That’s a shift from a similar poll last year, when 33 percent thought
the federal government was open and 62 percent thought it was secretive.
About 6 percent and 5 percent were undecided in the 2007 and 2006 polls.

“This is quite disturbing news,” said David Westphal, Washington editor
for McClatchy Newspapers and co-chairman of ASNE’s Freedom of Information
Committee. “When only 25 percent of the people consider theirs is an open
government, that’s a real problem in a democracy.”

The perception of secrecy has not eroded public confidence in other
levels of government. A clear majority said they believe their local and
state governments are open to public scrutiny.

“That is an accurate assessment and it’s absolutely true,” said Lucy
Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of
the Press. “By and large, state open-records laws are more progressive and
user- friendly than anything we are seeing on the federal level these
days.”

Respondents in the poll were told: “President Bush has said the FBI and
other federal officials need greater freedom when investigating suspected
terrorists. Do you think federal investigators should get permission from a
federal judge before opening mail or monitoring telephone calls, or should
they be allowed to do so without permission?”

Sixty percent of the adults in the poll said federal authorities should
consult a judge before monitoring Americans’ telephones and mail, while 31
percent said agents should act without judicial permission in cases of
terrorism. Nine percent were undecided or gave other responses, such as:
“It depends on the circumstances.”

A total of 28 percent said it’s either very likely or somewhat likely
that their own mail and telephone calls have been intercepted.

“The pendulum has finally started to swing back,” said Dalglish.
“People are coming to realize that secrecy is rampant and our civil
liberties have been messed with.”

However, adults in the poll were deeply divided on whether the press
should report on government actions even when their own privacy is at
issue. Forty-six percent said they approve of the disclosure that the
National Security Agency had been monitoring international telephone calls
without permission from a court, and 45 percent said they disapprove. Nine
percent were undecided.

“This is a complex issue with a range of views. Different people hold
different levels of respect for the watchdog role of journalism,” said
Robert Steele, who teaches press-ethics issues at the Poynter Institute.
“Editors must constantly make judgments on how much information should be
given to the public.”

Only 43 percent approved of press reports that the CIA has used
electric shock and water torture during interrogations, 41 percent approved
of disclosure that the CIA operated secret prisons in Eastern Europe and 38
percent approved of the press requiring disclosure of the identities of
most of the enemy combatants held at a special prison in Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba.

“I’m not surprised that there is sharp disagreement about this,” said
Westphal. “The decisions that editors make about what to publish in
national security matters are very, very difficult to make. And they are
subject to scrutiny and a fair amount of criticism by the administration.”

The survey found that support for news-media decisions to disclose
questionable government operations rose substantially among better-educated
Americans. Almost two-thirds of people who have continued their college
education beyond a bachelor’s degree said they approve of the disclosure of
the NSA domestic spying program.

The survey was conducted by telephone Jan. 21 through Feb. 5 under the
supervision of Guido H. Stempel III, director of the Scripps Survey
Research Center at Ohio University. The poll was sponsored through a grant
from the Scripps Howard Foundation.

The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the
importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants
include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries,
non-profits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.
Sunshine Week is led by ASNE and is supported by a grant from the John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation.
T
he following are selected findings from a poll of 1,008 adult
residents of the United States interviewed by telephone from Jan. 21
through Feb. 5 by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University.

This survey was commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors
as part of its National Sunshine Week observances.

Here are some questions about whether you feel government in America is
open and transparent or whether you think government is closed and
secretive.

When talking about the local government in your community, do you think
local government is very open, somewhat open, somewhat secretive or very
secretive?
– Very Open — 21 percent
– Somewhat Open — 39 percent
– Somewhat Secretive — 22 percent
– Very Secretive — 12 percent
– Don’t Know — 6 percent

How about your state government? Is it is very open, somewhat open,
somewhat secretive or very secretive?
– Very Open — 13 percent
– Somewhat Open — 40 percent
– Somewhat Secretive — 26 percent
– Very Secretive — 14 percent
– Don’t Know — 7 percent

How about the federal government based in Washington, D.C.?
– Very Open — 7 percent
– Somewhat Open — 18 percent
– Somewhat Secretive — 32 percent
– Very Secretive — 37 percent
– Don’t Know — 6 percent

President Bush has said the FBI and other federal officials need greater
freedom when investigating suspected terrorists. Do you think federal
investigators should get permission from a federal judge before opening
mail or monitoring telephone calls, or should they be allowed to do so
without permission?
– Get Permission — 60 percent
– Allow Without Permission — 31 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 9 percent

How likely do you think it is that the federal government has opened mail
or monitored telephone conversations of people in the U.S. without first
getting the permission from a federal judge? Is it very likely, somewhat
likely, somewhat unlikely or very unlikely that the federal government has
done these things without permission from a federal judge?
– Very Likely — 63 percent
– Somewhat Likely — 18 percent
– Somewhat Unlikely — 6 percent
– Very Unlikely — 5 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 8 percent

How likely do you think it is that the federal government has opened your
mail or monitored some of your telephone conversations?
– Very Likely — 11 percent
– Somewhat Likely — 17 percent
– Somewhat Unlikely — 16 percent
– Very Unlikely — 46 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 10 percent

In the past year, news organizations have reported about secret programs
by the federal government. Please tell me if you approve or disapprove of
the press for making these things public.

So, do you approve or disapprove of the press disclosing that the National
Security Agency has monitored international telephone calls without a
judge’s permission?
– Approve — 46 percent
– Disapprove — 45 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 9 percent

Do you approve or disapprove of the press filing a lawsuit to force the
federal government to release the names of most of the enemy combatants
held at the special prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?
– Approve — 38 percent
– Disapprove — 51 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 11 percent

Do you approve or disapprove of the press for disclosing that the CIA
operated secret prisons in Eastern Europe?
– Approve — 41 percent
– Disapprove — 48 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 11 percent

Do you approve or disapprove of the press for disclosing that the CIA has
apparently used severe interrogation methods such as electric shock or so-
called “water boarding” in which a suspect fears he may drown?
– Approve — 43 percent
– Disapprove — 48 percent
– Don’t Know/Other Response — 9 percent

SOURCE American Society of Newspaper Editors