The Freedom of Information Act1 was inspired by James Madison’s vision that “[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”2 The Senate Judiciary Committee quoted these words in its report clarifying the purposes of FOIA, which concluded with forceful words of its own, as true today as when they were written 50 years ago: “A government by secrecy benefits no one. It injures the people it seeks to serve; it injures its own integrity and operation. It breeds mistrust, dampens the fervor of its citizens, and mocks their loyalty.”3
New York’s Freedom of Information Law embodies these same principles, stating that “[t]he people’s right to know the process of governmental decision-making … is basic to our society,” and “should not be thwarted by shrouding it with the cloak of secrecy or confidentiality.”4
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