| Public information policy is not new. It was derived from such basic democratic foundations as "openness in government" and a citizen's "right to know." The principles of federal information policy were formalized in the Constitution and in several classic pieces of legislation, including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). But this framework was conceived before the present era of information technology. Today computerized information systems have changed the way we think about government information, how it is created, stored, and distributed. Many would argue that technology has been the primary change influence on public information policy as manifested in the FOIA. But that assertion is questioned in this research because government policy has also changed.; The purpose of this study is to determine the relative effects on FOIA implementation of information technology and government. The governmental influences are examined as they impacted FOIA in the 1980s from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. From the literature a problematic history of FOIA emerges. Agencies have coped with internal and external pressures on the Act which produced elaboration and increased complexity in its implementation. The results can be observed as changes in several variables, including FOIA organizational structure, leadership, personnel, financial factors, procedures, requester types, and FOIA requests. These changes and the technological and governmental influences on these changes were studied in three government agencies.; From this research it was concluded that both government and information technology have played important change roles in FOIA implementation. Governmental factors were largely negative in influence, adding hostility, discretion, inconsistency, and complexity. The information technology factors, however, produced both positive and negative effects on FOIA policy implementation. While reducing and controlling some of the problematic areas, computerization exacerbated some old FOIA problems and created some new issues. Several of these findings suggest the need for further research, for information technology can be of great assistance in reducing the problems of FOIA, and the problems of government remain to be solved. |
