SN CRS

A New Broom Sweeps it Under the Rug:

Regular readers of Grim's Hall know that excessive government secrecy is one of my major complaints. Often, others who share the complaint point to the Bush administration, and it does seem that Bush has a particular love for secrecy. That said, it's not only the administration that suffers from this particular addiction.

Today's Secrecy News notes that the new Democratic-led Congress has tightened the rules regulating Congressional Research Service contacts with the media. As SN notes, "The new policy 'will obviously have a chilling effect on staff,' said one CRS analyst on a not-for-attribution basis. 'That's what it is intended to do.'"

Much of the CRS' research is on pragmatic matters, and the service is meant to be nonpartisan. As a result, there is often little reason to deny public access to their work -- or to make it hard for journalists (or even bloggers) to ask a few questions about it.

Sovay, if she drops by, will also be interested in today's SN update on the Hatfill case.