Menu Close

Articles on Right to know

Displaying all articles

Most U.S.-grown soybeans are genetically modified, so products containing them may be required to carry the new ‘bioengineered’ label. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

What is bioengineered food? An agriculture expert explains

There’s a new label on many US food products – here’s what it means and who pushed to add it.
Each of South Africa’s former presidents treated the state broadcaster very differently. From left Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela, and Thabo Mbeki (2008). Epa/Kim Ludbrook

Why South Africa needs to fix its troubled public broadcaster

The South African Broadcasting Corporation, like South Africa itself, is a symbol of contradictions. While there are bad people who work for it, there are also many good ones.
Notions of the ‘right to know’ forced Hillary Clinton to defend her use of a private email account as secretary of state - a far cry from the days when citizens didn’t even know how their representatives voted. EPA/Andrew Gombert

The right to know vs the need for secrecy: the US experience

The idea of the right to know as the ‘lifeblood of democracy’ is a surprisingly modern development. And in an age when transparency is prized, privacy and secrecy can still be justified in many cases.
10 years on from UK FoI laws, the keyhole looks to be getting smaller. Mopic

The future of freedom of information looks far from certain

In the UK, thanks to the freedom of information (FoI) laws, the right to know has become routine. Ten years old this month, freedom of information laws have enabled us to inspect a public document, obtain…
The news media and politicians often squabble over whether an issue is the public or national interest, renewing a centuries-old debate. AAP/David Crosling

Right to know: the ‘nation’, the ‘people’ and the Fourth Estate

We might forgive politicians for putting the “national” interest before the “public” interest. But when the news media makes the same mistake, it is time to be worried. The Guardian and the ABC rightly…

Top contributors

More