When RCFP was founded in the 1970s, government officials often cited national security when refusing to release information. As computers pile up more data, government officials now point to citizen's privacy fears when withholding what are often deemed public facts. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 provides an example. Although the federal law primarily aims to add police strength nationwide and otherwise deal with crime, it also includes a provision, called the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, that takes effect Sept. 13, 1997. The act will give insurance companies, private detectives and lawyers access to motor-vehicle records while denying such access to journalists and ordinary citizens.
States have until the day the law takes effect to let motorists opt to have their records released.
Some states, such as Nevada, passed legislation that allows journalists access. Other state press associations lobby their legislatures for action. But Sue Hale, general manager of The Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City and outgoing president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, a Dallas organization of state FOI groups, says the federal government often stymies attempts at access. The Dayton daily's current lawsuit for U.S. Navy court-martial records offers a case in point. Carollo and Reed wrote a December 1994 series and filed a still-pending FOI request for more information.