Journalists ask parliamentiarians not to restrict access to government documents

Professional journalist organizations and various social organizations are appealing to parliament to take “no steps backwards” with the Open Government Act (WOO). The call the law that regulates the access to government information “essential for our democracy.” The organizations have serious objections to various motions that parliamentarians have submitted.

“Especially in times of polarisation, disinformation, and declining trust in government and politics, the WOO must be applied freely and broadly,” wrote the Dutch Society of Editors-in-Chief, the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ), the Association of Investigative Journalists (VVOJ), and the Open State Foundation, among others. They called on parliamentarians to reject motions that restrict the Woo.

This concerns a motion by the PVV on abolishing the penalty payment scheme for when the government does not respond to a request on time. “Without a penalty payment, citizens have no means of holding the government to the deadlines,” the organizations said.

Another motion by the SGP proposes to make the names of those submitting a WOO request public. The organizations call this a “serious restriction of the free right to information.” Names are always shielded, they point out.

The journalistic organizations also think that the WOO could be improved. “Let’s now work on a good implementation,” they urged the politicians. “Public access legislation provides indispensable raw materials for the public and political debate. Thanks to the WOO, government documents are available to everyone. This information comes first-hand and is therefore verifiable.”