来源：《洛杉矶时报》
原文刊登日期：2021年3月17日
Citizens in a democracy should know what their government is doing, but politicians, bureaucrats and judges too often decide otherwise. That’s why laws guaranteeing public access to government meetings and documents are so important.
民主国家的公民应该知道他们的政府在做什么，但政客和官僚们经常不想让公民知道。这就是为什么保障公众接触政府会议和文件的法律如此重要。
This week news media groups, libraries, educational institutions and even the U.S. government are calling attention to the importance of transparency as part of an annual activity called “Sunshine Week.”
本周，新闻媒体集团、图书馆、教育机构，甚至美国政府都在呼吁人们关注透明度的重要性，作为一年一度“阳光周”活动的一部分。
The last year has yielded some victories worth celebrating. For example, several news organizations filed federal Freedom of Information Act requests last year to identify the recipients of taxpayer-funded help under an emergency loan program for small businesses. After the Trump administration released a list, a federal judge ordered the Small Business Administration to provide the rest of the details.
去年取得了一些值得庆祝的胜利。例如，去年有几家新闻机构根据联邦《信息自由法》提出请求，要求确定在小企业紧急贷款计划中，纳税人资助的救助对象。特朗普政府公布了一份名单后，一名联邦法官命令小企业管理局提供其他细节。
In addition, courts have compensated for COVID-19 disruptions by providing virtual access to proceedings. The U.S. Supreme Court became even more transparent, livestreaming oral arguments conducted over the telephone.
此外，法院还通过提供诉讼程序的远程访问，弥补了新冠疫情造成的干扰。美国最高法院变得更加透明，通过电话直播口头辩论。
These are welcome developments. But it’s still too easy for government officials to frustrate the public’s legitimate interest in the workings of government, despite the existence of laws meant to ensure transparency.
这些都是可喜的进展。但是，尽管存在旨在确保透明度的法律，政府官员仍然很容易妨碍公众在政府工作中的合法利益。
Chief among those is the Freedom of Information Act signed into law in 1966. At a Sunshine Week event at the Justice Department, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that “faithful administration of FOIA is essential to American democracy.”
其中最主要的法律是1966年签署成为法律的《信息自由法案》。在司法部举行的阳光周活动上，司法部长梅里克·加兰德说，“忠实执行《信息自由法》对美国民主至关重要。”
He’s right, but the law doesn’t always live up to its promise of transparency. In a letter to Garland, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press complained that the act has been “plagued by high rates of withholding, increased delays in responding to requests, and, consequently, a significant increase in the number of lawsuits against federal agencies.” The letter urged the Justice Department to “take swift and decisive action to ensure compliance with FOIA.”
他是对的，但该法律并不总是履行其透明度的承诺。新闻自由记者委员会在给加兰德的信中抱怨称，该法案“一直受到拒绝率高、对请求做出回应越来越拖延的困扰，最终，造成针对联邦机构的诉讼数量显著增加”。这封信敦促司法部“迅速采取果断行动，确保遵守《信息自由法》”。
Slow responses to requests aren’t the only problem. Exemptions in the law allow agencies to withhold material for a range of subjective reasons, including concerns about national security, individual privacy and internal government deliberations.
对请求的回应缓慢并不是唯一的问题。《信息自由法》中的豁免条款允许政府机构出于一系列主观原因，包括国家安全、个人隐私和政府内部审议等要事，拒绝公开相关材料。
With some requests, moreover, federal agencies can refuse to confirm or deny that a requested document even exists. The law also contains “exclusions” for certain criminal justice and national security matters, meaning that they aren’t subject to FOIA at all. Withholding some sensitive information — such as the identity of a confidential informant — may be appropriate, but nondisclosure must be the exception, not the rule.
此外，对于某些请求，联邦机构甚至可以拒绝证实或否认请求文件的存在。《信息自由法》还包含了某些刑事司法和国家安全事务的“排除条款”，这意味着它们完全不受《信息自由法》的约束。隐瞒一些敏感信息——比如保密线人的身份——可能是合适的，但不披露应该是例外，而不是规则。
But no matter what the law says, some government agencies will prefer to operate in the shadows. That’s why government must be pressed to be transparent and accountable not just during Sunshine Week, but every day of the year.
但不管《信息自由法》怎么说，一些政府机构都宁愿在暗处运作。这就是为什么政府必须被施压，不仅在阳光周期间，而且在一年中的每一天都要做到透明和负责。