Freedom of information laws are used to harass scientists, says Nobel laureate

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Freedom of information laws are being misused to harass scientists and should be re-examined by the government, according to the president of the Royal Society.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse told the Guardian that some climate scientists were being targeted by organised campaigns of requests for data and other research materials, aimed at intimidating them and slowing down research. He said the behaviour was turning freedom of information laws into a way to intimidate some scientists.

Freedom of information laws are used to harass scientists, says Nobel laureate | Politics | The Guardian

Translation: "We need to crack down on freedom of information laws because the public is exposing the lies we've been feeding them for the last 30 years."

 

[lehr]

all amerika has to do it drill for oil and cut taxes and get this communist demokrat party off our backs= we will take care of the rest = but communist obama knows that



his first year as prez= komrade obama had a pic of mao on the white house x-mas tree
amerika is a world disgrace !

 

[California Girl]

Many of these scientists are funded by taxpayers. Those taxpayers have every right to know what they're spending that money on. If they don't like it, they can find funding elsewhere.

 

[Trakar]

Many of these scientists are funded by taxpayers. Those taxpayers have every right to know what they're spending that money on. If they don't like it, they can find funding elsewhere.

Controversial FOIA legislation stalled | Richmond Times-Dispatch

...Proposed legislation that would allow localities to seek relief from trigger-happy Freedom of Information Act users is going nowhere for now.

Sponsored by Del. R. Lee Ware Jr., R-Powhatan, House Bill 449 would allow any public body in the state to petition a court for relief from a person deemed to be abusing rights granted under FOIA.

..."We're not interested in repealing FOIA," said County Attorney John Rick. "We work with it, live with it and respect it. But it was used as a baseball bat against us and that doesn't seem right."

According to county documents, the individual, whom Rick wouldn't name, filed 25 FOIA requests from Aug. 14 to Dec. 22, 2009. The requests totaled thousands of pages in photocopies that would have cost the individual $1,251.75 and consumed more than 90 staff work hours, the county estimates.

"I had this department that was being disrupted terribly by these requests -- one a week, one every 10 days -- and there was nothing that could protect us," Rick said.

After revisions, the cost to research and respond to all the requests cost the individual $770.89, which included 30 hours of staff time.

...Roger Wiley, a legal consultant for the Virginia Association of Counties, said harassment via FOIA is not all that uncommon.

"Every locality has someone who's mad at the government, and one way to vent is to overload them with FOIA requests to be annoying," he said. "It can be pretty burdensome, especially for a small locality."

Rick said he would like to see the bill, or a version of it, back next year.

==================================

In general, I support and understand the necessity of FOIA requirements, this isn't to say, however, that "harassment by FOIA" is appropriate, nor should it be allowed to happen without any means for the targets of such harassment to seek relief.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Freedom of information laws are being misused to harass scientists and should be re-examined by the government, according to the president of the Royal Society.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse told the Guardian that some climate scientists were being targeted by organised campaigns of requests for data and other research materials, aimed at intimidating them and slowing down research. He said the behaviour was turning freedom of information laws into a way to intimidate some scientists.

Freedom of information laws are used to harass scientists, says Nobel laureate | Politics | The Guardian

Translation: "We need to crack down on freedom of information laws because the public is exposing the lies we've been feeding them for the last 30 years."

If he doesn't like the fact that everyone has access to his data he should stop taking money from the government.

 

[Trajan]

meanwhile obama aside stepped a scientific award from the royal society......award avoidance? any correlation?

 

[Old Rocks]

meanwhile obama aside stepped a scientific award from the royal society......award avoidance? any correlation?

Care to interpret that sentence? for us?

 

[edthecynic]

Freedom of information laws are being misused to harass scientists and should be re-examined by the government, according to the president of the Royal Society.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse told the Guardian that some climate scientists were being targeted by organised campaigns of requests for data and other research materials, aimed at intimidating them and slowing down research. He said the behaviour was turning freedom of information laws into a way to intimidate some scientists.

Freedom of information laws are used to harass scientists, says Nobel laureate | Politics | The Guardian

Translation: "We need to crack down on freedom of information laws because the public is exposing the lies we've been feeding them for the last 30 years."

Did you ever notice that whenever the facts don't support the CON$ervative spin, they kindly "translate" for you?

 

[Trakar]

Did you ever notice that whenever the facts don't support the CON$ervative spin, they kindly "translate" for you?

In general, that's more of a Fundy trait than a true conservative trait, but any more, 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Freedom of information laws are being misused to harass scientists and should be re-examined by the government, according to the president of the Royal Society.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse told the Guardian that some climate scientists were being targeted by organised campaigns of requests for data and other research materials, aimed at intimidating them and slowing down research. He said the behaviour was turning freedom of information laws into a way to intimidate some scientists.

Freedom of information laws are used to harass scientists, says Nobel laureate | Politics | The Guardian

Translation: "We need to crack down on freedom of information laws because the public is exposing the lies we've been feeding them for the last 30 years."

Did you ever notice that whenever the facts don't support the CON$ervative spin, they kindly "translate" for you?

No, I haven't noticed that. I'm not a conservative. I simply believe in common sense and support what's known to work and oppose what doesn't. You wouldn't understand.