Download or read book The U.S. Freedom of Information Act at 50 written by W. Wat Hopkins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-12-18 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which recently turned 50, has been hailed as the primary means by which US citizens can know about how their governors operate in a democratic republic. Recently, however, it has been criticized as ineffective because it is cumbersome and full of loopholes. This book examines the role and effectiveness of the FOIA, comparing the FOIA world with the pre-FOIA world, rating its effectiveness compared to other access laws internationally, examining ways in which it can be improved, and questioning whether it should be dismantled and replaced. This book was originally published as a special issue of Communication Law and Policy.