Spin Control and Freedom of Information: Lessons for the United Kingdom from Canada

• Published in: Public administration (London) Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 1 - 23
• Main Author: Roberts, Alasdair S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK; Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Ltd/Inc 01.03.2005; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Access to information; Canada; Communication; Comparative studies; Conflict; Freedom of Information; Government Regulation; Information dissemination; Information policy; Law; Legislation; Media policy; Policy Implementation; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; Canada
• ISSN: 0033-3298; 1467-9299
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0033-3298.2005.00435.x

The United Kingdom's new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is intended to empower citizens by granting a right to government documents. However, the law will be implemented by a government that has developed highly centralized structures for controlling the communications activity of its departments. How will the revolutionary potential of the FOIA be squared with government's concern for ‘message discipline’? Experience in implementing Canada's Access to Information Act may provide an answer. The Canadian law was intended to constrain executive authority, but officials developed internal routines and technologies to minimize its disruptive potential. These practices restrict the right to information for certain types of stakeholders, such as journalists or representatives of political parties. The conflict between public expectations of transparency and elite concerns about governability may not be adequately accounted for during implementation of the UK Freedom of Information Act.