美国信息自由法:从《信息自由法令》到《电子信息自由法令》

本文主要介绍了美国<信息自由法令>的产生及发展过程及美国联邦各机构对<信息自由法令>的执行情况,从中简要概括出美国<信息自由法令>及其执行情况对于我国<政府信息公开条例>的贯彻实施的可借鉴之处.     

Freedom of information and ‘vexatious’ requests — The case of Scottish local government

This paper investigates the cost and incidence of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within councils in Scotland and in particular, the cost and incidence of requests which have been defined as ‘vexatious’ in order to investigate if the negative perceptions surrounding the cost and misuse of the legislation are justified. Additionally, the criteria and guidelines that councils are using to define ‘vexatious’ are also examined. The approach taken to the research in this study is a survey of the 32 councils in Scotland using freedom of information requests as the data collection method.     

Information governance,records management,and freedom of information: A study of local government authorities in England

In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and freedom of information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.     

Assessing the performance of freedom of information

How well has the UK FOI Act worked in practice now that it has been in force for 4 years? This article discusses how to measure the performance of FOI regimes. It presents the evidence on the performance of FOI in the UK measured against comparative data from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, countries with access to information legislation and similar political systems. On a range of measures, the UK Act is found to have performed reasonably well, but it also suffers from problems common to all FOI regimes. The article concludes with some observations on what makes for a successful FOI regime, and how to measure it.     

论杰斐逊新闻自由思想和实践的统一及其原因

杰斐逊的新闻自由思想是其民主思想体系的重要组成部分,它具有内在一致性:思想和实践的一致。英、美历史文化背景对杰斐逊实践其新闻思想产生了重要的影响,是其新闻思想和实践统一的主要原因。     

弥尔顿出版自由思想的局限性剖析

本文从自由主义新闻思潮发展史的层面 ,对弥尔顿出版自由思想的局限进行了简要剖析 ,并从思想渊源和现实层面对其原因进行了解释。弥尔顿的出版自由思想存在建制缺失、先验主义和非民主特征等局限 ,这些局限极大地削弱了其在自由主义新闻思潮发展史中的价值 ,在内涵与 1 8世纪和 1 9世纪的自由主义新闻思潮存在显著不同。     

辩证法视域中的新闻自由相对性辨析

认识绝对的新闻自由可从两种意义层面去考察。本文综合辩证法原理认为,相对性和绝对性是新闻自由的两个属性,准确认识新闻自由相对性要同极端强调相对性而无视绝对性的相对主义诡辩论划清界限,要避免借新闻自由相对性走入精英主义新闻路线。另外,新闻自由的相对性要基于其绝对性才能存在。     

印度独立后新闻自由政策的转折点

大家族财团控制着印度的报刊,政府与这些财团之间的矛盾主要表现为政府与财团报刊的冲突。英·甘地时期这种冲突逐渐加剧,在1975年的紧急时期达到顶点,英·甘地政府实行严格的新闻检查,压制新闻自由。紧急状态结束后,执政的人民党政府废除了新闻检查制度,恢复了新闻自由。     

信息技术对信息环境影响的思考

信息技术的发展在给人类带来进步的同时,也带来生存压力、道德缺失、发展失衡等负面影响.可以说信息环境的形成是依靠信息技术的发展,信息技术的发展之路必须要正视其两面性,应以人类根本利益为归宿,重视构建人文科技,促进人与自然和谐发展.     

论英国诽谤法改革的趋势

英国司法部2011年3月15日向议会提交诽谤法修改草案,并向公众咨询意见。草案对英国诽谤法的抗辩原则作出较大修改,其总体方向是在坚持传统基础上,对言论自由给予较大保护。如果草案获得通过,英国多年通行的诽谤法规则将会作出重大调整,这一改革,对适用普通法的其他国家或地区会有示范作用,对中国亦有启示。     

出版自由与个人形象权

个人形象权赋予个人对其形象信息的控制权,而出版自由却要求自由使用他人的形象信息,由此两者产生冲突。如何协调两者之间的冲突?本文主要论述了"具有新闻价值的例外、转化性标准、主要目的标准、实际恶意标准、合理使用标准"。本文将在批判以上标准的基础上,提出了"综合性标准",即综合考虑以下四个方面:主要目的是非商业性,还是商业性;是否会使公众产生混淆;转化性程度;是否会损害其市场利益。     

Freedom of information and government records in Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania

James Lowry is the Deputy Director of the International Records Management Trust (IRMT). He was the lead researcher on the Aligning Records Management with ICT/e-Government and Freedom of Information in East Africa project, conducted by the IRMT from 2009 to 2011, with funding from the International Development Research Centre.

Freedom of Information (FOI) regimes can only be effective if government records are managed well. This article sets out the findings of research conducted in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to establish the level of alignment between those governments’ FOI aspirations and their records management readiness for FOI. The article sets out a high-level regulatory framework for the effective management of government records in the ICT/e-government and FOI environments to highlight areas that could be addressed, in order to prepare for FOI in the three countries.     

知识自由与图书馆制度--关于图书馆的制度视角研究

自由和知识自由都是人类的永恒追求。知识自由障碍的存任，要求社会提供消除障碍的制度保障，图书馆就是人类的知识自由权利的社会保障制度。图书馆是民主社会为了维护公民的知识自由权利而提供的制度产品。所以，图书馆制度是一种合理、合法和正义的制度。     

言论出版条款的理解

文章以中国宪法与言论出版自由有关的条文内涵为出发点,结合联合国(包括地区性)人权条约确立的表达自由的人权标准和其他国家保护表达自由的司法实践,提出了正确理解言论出版条款和文艺创作条款的路径,解释了宪法相关规定的含义,并在此基础上阐明了从立法和司法两个方面完善我国现有的言论出版自由制度的必要性和紧迫性。     

信息自由研究领域的里程碑——评《信息自由及其限度研究》

由蒋永福教授撰写的<信息自由及其限度>一书,以哲学的视角诠释了信息领域的自由及其限度问题.作者创新的思想、严谨清晰的表述,以及完整详实的内容,体现了学术与实践双重价值,具有历史与时代双重意义,堪称是信息自由领域研究的里程碑.     

A promising phenomenon of open data: A case study of the Chicago open data project

This article presents a case study of the open data project in the Chicago area. The main purpose of the research is to explore empowering potential of an open data phenomenon at the local level as a platform useful for promotion of civic engagement projects and provide a framework for future research and hypothesis testing. Today the main challenge in realization of any e-government projects is a traditional top–down administrative mechanism of their realization itself practically without any input from members of the civil society. In this respect, the author of the article argues that the open data concept realized at the local level may provide a real platform for promotion of proactive civic engagement. By harnessing collective wisdom of the local communities, their knowledge and visions of the local challenges, governments could react and meet citizens' needs in a more productive and cost-efficient manner. Open data-driven projects that focused on visualization of environmental issues, mapping of utility management, evaluating of political lobbying, social benefits, closing digital divide, etc. are only some examples of such perspectives. These projects are perhaps harbingers of a new political reality where interactions among citizens at the local level will play a more important role than communication between civil society and government due to the empowering potential of the open data concept.     

第四等级报刊观念:基于历史文本的解读

在19世纪中期的英国,报刊作为第四等级与其他三个等级抗衡的力量得以充分的彰显。那么,在当时人们的心目中,作为第四等级的报刊应当享有怎样的政治与社会地位?当报刊被赋予这样的地位时,人们期待它能够起什么样的作用并扮演什么样的角色?本文通过英国报刊史上若干篇重要文献,包括1852年《泰晤士报》的两篇社论、19世纪英国报刊史两部专著,以及1855年《泰晤士报》主笔瑞夫《报刊》一文等,分析了19世纪中期的英国报刊史学家以及报人们是怎样理解第四等级报刊观念的。     

民国初年报纸言论尺度考察——基于对《大公报》言论栏目的分析

媒体批评政府和官员的限度,是衡量新闻自由程度的一个重要指标。通过对1912至1916年间《大公报》的言论栏目进行抽样分析,本文发现其时该报享有较高程度的新闻自由。根本原因有二:一是当时的国家-社会关系使得言论尚有自主空间;二是《大公报》的言论责任观使其立言尽可能公允清楚。     

Freedom of information and its impact in the United Kingdom

The UK Parliament passed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in November 2000 after 3 years of government White Papers, consultation papers, and various Bills. The author served as special adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration which oversaw the Government proposals for legislation and the progress of the Bill into the House of Commons. The FOIA introduced pro-active publication of information via Publication Schemes, which were introduced on a staggered basis across the public sector and on January 1, 2005, rights of individual access were granted to individuals. The Act covers well over 100,000 public authorities in the UK and includes both Houses of Parliament. There is a power to add private bodies to the Act's coverage. The Act covers UK, English, Welsh, and Northern Irish public authorities. Scotland has its own FOIA which was enacted by the Scottish Parliament in 2002. The paper will examine the operation of the UK legislation and the role of the Information Commissioner and the Information Tribunal which deal with complaints of refusal and appeals respectively. The jurisprudence has been voluminous and now the English courts are beginning to hear appeals from the tribunal. The article will examine the major trends of the legislation and the problems presented by the legislation. The Government has already issued vetoes under the Act overriding the Commissioner's decision to grant access to the Cabinet papers relating to the Cabinet discussion on entering into war with Iraq and then on devolution of power to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The decisions to open up the files on MPs expenses have caused one of the major constitutional crises in the UK in the last 75 years. As well as examining the way the Act has been interpreted, the author will essay some preliminary analyses of the impact of the Act on the realization of government objectives in passing the Act. The FOIA does sit alongside other legislation allowing access to personal files and access to environmental information and the whole information debate is set in the context of heightened sensitivity and secrecy in time of the war on terror and the state's increasing capacity to demand, store, and share information. The UK experience of the information debate will be examined.