When President Obama took office in 2009, he pledged to lead the most transparent administration in history. The Sunlight Foundation looked at the progress the White House has made towards that goal.
During his first term, President Obama issued the Open Government Directive, set a new course for FOIA and led the creation of the Open Government Partnership. At the same time, many observers criticized the administration for lacking openness or failing to follow through in a number of important areas.
Anne Weismann, Chief Counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington; Hudson Hollister, Executive Director of the Data Transparency Coalition; and Josh Gerstein, White House Reporter at POLITICO; discussed the administration's policies on transparency and what could be done to improve its record.