MOSCOW, July 10 (RIA Novosti) - US journalism groups have criticized Barack Obama's administration for "politically driven suppression of the news" about the state authorities' activities, the Washington Examiner political magazine wrote Thursday.
The letter, signed by the representatives of 38 media organizations said the US authorities' efforts to limit access to information have reached a critical point, despite Obama's 2008 promise to ensure transparency.
Journalists accused the president of opening a path to lobbyists, special interests and “people with money,” while restricting journalists' access to information. The public has become skeptical about news, as well as the president's administration, their letter said.
“You need look no further than your own administration for a major source of that frustration – politically driven suppression of news and information about federal agencies. We call on you to take a stand to stop the spin and let the sunshine in,” David Cuillier, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, the oldest journalists’ organization in the US defending the freedom of speech and freedom of press, wrote in the letter.
The message also cited a survey, which had found that 40 percent of public affairs officers in the US admitted censoring journalists who had written something their companies did not like. The journalists also complained about delays in answering interview requests, widespread off-the-record comments, and "excessive message management" caused by the "professionalization of PR in the bureaucracy."
