From PR Office Censorship, a blog by Kathryn Foxhall, freedom of information advocate and member of the board of directors of the SPJ Washington, D.C., Pro Chapter
Open Letter to the Washington Post:
I’m questioning the propriety of the press covering what was known about baby formula issues prior to the shortage without talking about the censorship on newsgathering in the Food and Drug Administration and elsewhere.
FDA employees, like people in many agencies, are prohibited from talking to reporters without guards from the public information office. Probably most contacts with reporters never happen because of delays or blockages through that permission-to-speak process.
About 27 years ago at least five specialized newsletter reporters walked the agency’s halls getting many stories that were not officially ordained. That kind of networking with employees might very well have brought out the formula issues well before they became a crisis. …
The full letter is HERE.