On the heels of President Barack Obama's "Day One" memos to encourage a more transparent and responsive federal government, the Smithsonian Institution last week formally adopted a new policy for responding to records requests. "It is the policy of the Smithsonian Institution... to respond timely to written requests for Smithsonian information consistent with the principles of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act and in a manner that fosters openness and accountability and supports the Smithsonian's mission," the new policy states.
The museum complex is not subject to FOIA because of a 1997 federal court ruling but has been using a policy for releasing records modeled on FOIA since November. Monday's announcement made that system official. When considering requests for information, the Smithsonian will apply a "presumption of disclosure" and will provide information "except where disclosure would be harmful to an interest protected by an exemption." The Smithsonian has been criticized for limiting access to files in the past. In June, several senators introduced legislation that would have required the Smithsonian to comply with FOIA, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
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