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Articles on Government secrecy

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When government officials block access to information, the public suffers. fstop123/E+ via Getty Images

Growing secrecy limits government accountability

After years of anecdotes, data provides a fuller picture of government agencies hiding their work from the public they ostensibly serve.
Former President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in early June 2023, as an investigation continued that led to his indictment on federal charges. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Trump charged under Espionage Act – which covers a lot more crimes than just spying

Spy cases are rare. More typically, as in the Trump indictment, the act applies to the unauthorized gathering, possessing or transmitting of certain sensitive government information.
Former President Donald Trump, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Aug. 6, 2022, in Dallas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

You don’t have to be a spy to violate the Espionage Act – and other crucial facts about the law Trump may have broken

Two national security law experts explain how the Espionage Act isn’t only about international intrigue, and share other important points about the law that was invoked in a search of Trump’s estate.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves Southwark Crown Court in London, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

Assange’s new indictment: Espionage and the First Amendment

Julian Assange’s indictment under the Espionage Act, a sweeping law with heavy penalties for unauthorized receiving or disclosing of classified information, poses a threat to press freedom.
Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen testifies in February at a public hearing at the Washington legislature against limiting legislative branch disclosure. AP/Ted S. Warren

Secrecy versus sunshine: Efforts to hide government records never stop

Government produces millions of pages of records every day: studies, reports, memos, emails, budgets and more. These reports belong to the public, but increasingly, lawmakers are trying to hide them.

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