The National Press Club

Access Denied: Science News and Government Transparency

Has the Obama administration lived up to its promise to make science more transparent and accessible to the public? An investigation in the current issue of Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) finds that despite President Obama's early promise to create an open government, the nation's science reporters feel there has been little to no progress since the Bush administration.

On Monday Oct. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m., the National Press Club will host a panel of journalists and invited administration officials to critique what journalists and the government are (or aren't) doing to change that.

The moderator is Seth Borenstein, science reporter for The Associated Press.

Speakers include:

• Curtis Brainard, CJR's science editor
• Joseph Davis, Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
• Felice Freyer, Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)
• Darren Samuelsohn, Politico's senior energy and environment reporter
• Clothilde Le Coz, Reporters Without Borders
• Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have been invited.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public. It is cosponsored by the National Press Club, CJR, SEJ, and Reporters Without Borders. A cash-bar reception will follow.