CDC sits on documents

[bananas]

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have generated about 4,000 pages of documents assessing risks to the agency’s reputation posed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s reporting.

But the CDC is keeping those records secret, despite directives from the Obama administration that federal agencies presume government records are open to the public under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Release of the CDC records “would interfere with the agency’s deliberative process and have a chilling effect on employee discussions,” CDC freedom of information officer Lynn Armstrong said in a letter sent this month to the AJC.

The AJC asked for the documents in January 2007, after the newspaper learned that the agency was conducting risk analyses of this reporter’s news-gathering rather than releasing information of interest to the public. At the time, the AJC was pursuing stories about morale problems and an exodus of key scientists from the Atlanta-based agency, CDC’s chaotic response to Hurricane Katrina, lab animal welfare violations and costly taxpayer-funded construction projects at the agency’s campus on Clifton Road.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/04/26/spotlight0426.html

[depakid]

1. "morale problems and an exodus of key scientists" went on for YEARS under Julie Gerberding

Aside from the usual (appalling) Bush Administration meddling in the agency, Gerberding was an incompetent administrator and a NIGHTMARE to work for by all acounts.

As with the other agencies Bush and the Republicans have trashed, it's going to take a long time to get back up to speed.

[No Elephants]

2. Protect your reputation by

doing a good job. Just brainstorming here.

Typical Bushco. All hat, no cattle.

Bush Legacy Project--wonder what necessitated that? Maybe the CDC can work on a CDC Legacy Project.

[struggle4progress]

4. I think Lynn Armstrong has handled CDC FOIAs since before W's time

I don't know the person's actual background or politics

Maybe we could try to sort this out before making accusations?

[Joe Chi Minh]

5. ... and certainly no horses.

[ixion]

3. "chilling effect" seems to be the new vernacular for

"we got caught doing something nasty, but don't stop us."

[Downwinder]

6. Unless they get on top of Smithfield's swine flu outbreak PDQ

they won't have a reputation to worry about.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Meanwhile, HHS stands leaderless

as are most if not all of its OPDIVs (agencies) including FDA. The Senate fiddles while Washington burns and the (healthcare) beat(down) goes on. :eyes:

Time for the Senate to up off their asses and get some folks CONFIRMED for HHS and its agencies so that we can stop the insane Rovians, who are STILL in place, from continuing to do damage.

[bananas]

8. Why was this moved to the Georgia forum?

It was posted in LBN.

[RebelOne]

9. I would assume that's because the CDC is in Georgia. n/t

[Laelth]

10. CDC doesn't have a new boss yet (typical Republican obstruction).

Give them a year or so. They'll get back to being good stewards of the public trust soon enough.

:dem:

-Laelth