Examples of why FOIA matters
The Associated Press has created a page highlighting some of the stories that are made possible by the use of state and federal Freedom of Information Acts (FOIAs). In important cases, FOIA statutes have led to greater accountability, as shown by the AP's example of Georgia:
In Georgia, AP used the state FOI law to obtain the names of state lawmakers and officials who received free football tickets to University of Georgia football games; to discover that Georgia was still providing information to a multi-state crime database after the governor said the state would stop; and to obtain the amazingly easy final exam that Georgia assistant basketball coach Jim Harrick Jr. gave to players. (Harrick was later fired and found guilty of academic fraud by the NCAA.)Continue reading
Government Podcasts Page Updated
We've added podcasts from the State Department, House Democrats, and another California Republican Assembly (State House) member to our new directory of government podcasts. Check the page out, then let us know about any other podcasts coming out of your local, state, or federal government. While government podcasts are an interesting and potentially useful way of distributing government information, they may not become part of the historical record of government. Why? Podcasting uses audio format files, mostly MP3s as of this writing. While MP3 is all over the Internet, it is a propriety format. There is no guarantee that the specifications for the MP3 format will continue to be publicly available. It may become a victim of file format obsolescence, in which case software couldn't be written to successfully read these audio files. Continue reading
Help us locate government podcasts!
We've just started a new directory page for podcasting done by government agencies and elected officials in the US state and federal governments. Please have a look around and let us know what we are missing. Please either leave a comment on the Government Podcasts page or send an e-mail to dnlcornwall AT alaska.net. Continue reading
Government Podcasts
Podcasting is a way to deliver audio content to portable players. Despite the "Pod" in the name, you do not need an iPod to listen to the downloaded files.
An increasing number of governments and elected officials are finding podcasting a useful channel to inform their citizens. While not endorsing podcasts as the ultimate channel of government information (Do you want to hear the statistical abstract podcast?), FGI wishes to commend the governments and elected officials below for their innovation in communication. If you know of a government podcast not listed here, please send the URL where the podcast can be found to dnlcornwal AT alaska.net.
If a state or federal entity has an one-stop podcast listing, only that page will be listed. Otherwise we will list all podcasts for that entity separately.
Federal Podcasts
- USA.gov Federal Podcasts listing - Official listing of federal podcasts by subject.
- Elected Officials
- White House Podcasts
- House
- Senate
- Have any to share?
- Federal Agencies
- Agriculture
- Economic Research Service Podcast - Audio items on a number of agricultural economic topics.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Weekly Recall Review - 3-5 minute audio recording summarizing recalls and other product safety news
- Agriculture
- Census Bureau
- Department of Defense
- Air Force:
- Army
- Army Racing Podcast - Join the US Army as they race the NASCAR circuit. RSS Feed
- Navy Podcasts - Service wide podcast portal. Features Navy/Marine Corps Radio News - A two-minute recap of current events for and about The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps.
- Pentagon Channel Podcasts - Daily newscasts from America's military.
- Energy
- Environmental Protection Agency - Podcast portal
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- GAO's Watchdog Report - interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports. The feed has links to all podcast episodes
- Health and Human Services
- Aids.gov Podcast - Broadcast since February 2007, mix of news and discussions about AIDS.
- Daily HealthBeat Tip - "Launched on July 11, 2005, this service provides health promotion and disease prevention tips 5 days a week in audio and text formats." Site encourages broadcasters to use tips with attribution. Probably good for podcasters.
- Healthcare 411 - "Healthcare 411 is a free online resource that educates and empowers consumers with evidence-based information. Produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), these weekly audio programs feature consumer-friendly health news and information."
- Housing and Urban Development
- Interior
- CoreCast from US Geological Survey - Earth Science oriented podcasts from 5 to 20 minutes in length.
- NASA Podcasting Page - Links to several audio AND video podcasts of education and science programs at NASA.
- National Archives
- Presidential Libraries Uncovered Podcast - From the website, "Each month, we broadcast historical clips from the Libraries' collection, ranging from serious policy discussions to conversations with family members. Listen to the voices of Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. We'll add a new podcast often." A feed is also available.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Physics Laboratory. - These MP4 podcasts contain an audio recording of the seminars, plus copies of the slides used by the speakers, synchronized approximately with the audio track. Currently one must subscribe to this podcast through the Apple iTunes store using keyword NIST.
- National Library of Medicine - MedlinePlus: NLM's Director's Comments - Weekly highlights of What's New in MedlinePlus.gov are narrated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Director.
- NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) Podcasts
- National Weather Service
- Office of National Drug Control policy - Brief stories relating to drug abuse and control efforts.
- SAMHSA Radio Newsline Podcast - 60-90 second public affairs reports and substance abuse news segments.
- State Department
- International Information Programs - Speeches from Secretary of State and other officials.
- Rewards for Justice podcast feed - Daily roundup of rewards being offered for information regarding international terrorists. (XML)
- Smithsonian Institution Podcast Portal- Variety of audio and video podcasts on arts, science, history and more.
- Voice of America - Portal page offering a variety of news and culture programs. Offers a "Special English" news podcast which uses a limited vocabulary of 1,500 words. Broadcasters read at a slower pace than standard English.
District of Columbia Podcasts
- Mayor's Weekly Press Conferences
- Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency - Brief video programs for the public on crime, criminal offenders and the criminal justice system. Some episodes in Spanish.
State Podcasts
- Arkansas
- California
- Governor's Weekly Address - Intro page provides detailed instructions on using podcast software.
- Assemblyman (State House) Kevin McCarthy
- Assemblyman (State House) Russ Bogh
- Local Governments
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- State of Delaware Podcast Feeds - Includes podcasts on history and saving energy.
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Illinois - Podcast portal - Currently includes Gov, Lt. Gov and Historic Preservation Agency podcasts.
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Podcast Portal - Includes feeds for Governor and General Assembly.
- Massachusetts
- Governor's Podcasts - Podcast Feed (XML)
- Mass Moments - History minute podcasts supported by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Governor Pawlenty's Podcasts
- State House Standing Committee Podcasts
- Minnesota House Members - Majority of house members podcast. See Rep Bruce Anderson for example.
- Mississippi
- MS Arts Commission's MS Arts Hour - "The show features interviews with Mississippi artists, musicians, craftspeople, and others involved in arts and culture from around the state."
- Missouri
- Governor Podcasts - Subscribe via iTunes
- Nebraska
- Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service Interchange podcast
- Podcasting Across Nebraska - Not a podcast itself but a state program aimed at encouraging local government podcasts.
- Local
- Lincoln Board of Education podcasts
- South Sioux City Cardinal Cast . Can also subscribe via iTunes
- Nevada
- Local Governments
- New York
- Local Governments
- New York Police Department Daily News - Five to ten minute segments on traffic closures, interviews of NYPD personnel, and other news about the NYPD.
- Long Island Power Authority
- Local Governments
- North Carolina
- Local Governments
- Ohio
- OH DNR Ohio Outdoor Notebook Radio Spots - Minute podcasts designed to be used in radio shows.
- Oklahoma
- Outdoor Oklahoma - This is a video podcast of a weekly TV show produced by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. It appears to be archived on iTunes.
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- South Carolina Educational Television Commission ETV Podcasts - Mix of NPR feeds with locally produced, SC focused programs.
- Tennessee
- Governor Bredesen's Podcast
- Tennessee Higher Education Commission
- Local Governments
- Memphis City Schools Podcasts - includes podcasts on world languages, arts and a "out of print" podcast.
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) Podcasts - Mostly summaries of LRB publications on various public policy issues or elements of the Wisconsin constitution. All of the podcasts are 5-7 minutes. The Legislative Reference Bureau is the first WI agency to produce podcasts.
Alaskan Newspapers Stand Against Private Weather – Do yours?
I was pleased to see an Anchorage Daily News editorial coming out strongly against Sen. Santorum's weather privatization (S. 786 ) bill reprinted in the Juneau Empire. It was especially pleasing to see that both papers agree on the central issue:
This is privatization ideology run amok. Critics note the public already has paid for weather information once, when the government collects it. It shouldn't have to pay some private sector middleman for the privilege of seeing it. Cost isn't the issue here. Thanks to the Internet, it costs the government very little to make information widely available. The issue is that a politician wants to hamstring a legitimate function of government so it's easier for somebody to make a buck. Let the nation's weather forecasters do their jobs without political interference. In Alaska, that work is particularly critical. Continue reading
Latest Comments