Journalism and #opengov [SURVEY]

Photo: Richard Sambrook

What role could news organisations and reporters play regarding open government?

Writing in We Media, former director of global news at the BBC, Richard Sambrook, has revealed that he is leading a study of the role and attitudes of journalists regarding government transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More programs. Whereas members of the media may be skeptical about the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More, with few to-date having covered its creation or growth to 60 participating countries, Sambrook writes: ‘There’s no question that support is growing around the world for the principle of greater transparency by governments – and the increased accountability and civic engagement it can deliver.’

Sambrook is chairing an independent Media Council, commissioned by the Omidyar Network with support from the UK, the current lead OGP chair, which is seeking views from journalists, editors and broadcasters. His survey will inform a white paper which the Council will publish at the London OGP summit in October/November 2013. Writes Sambrook,

 ‘There are a number of interesting ways in which the media could contribute to the open movement. One would be improving on delivery of open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... campaigns – how can it be visually interesting and useful? The media has a huge lobby with regards to promoting freedom of expressionJournalists and activists are critical intermediaries connecting public officials with citizens and serving as government watchdogs, and their rights and safety need to be protected. Technical specifi... More and access to information laws, both of which are key to transparency policies. Finally, media houses are ready to embrace data driven journalism and the open movement is keen to get people engaged with newly public data – it is excellent timing for both.’

The Media Council is collecting thoughts on the open movement from media practitioners all over the world. If you are a journalist, please give your view at: surveymonkey.com/s/…

Photo Credit: rsambrook via Compfight cc