Italian journalists call on govt for more transparency

Italian journalists on Wednesday called on the government to adopt rigorous transparency standards by making documents more accessible to the public. Held on Transparency Day, members of the Initiative to Adopt a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) called on policymakers to adopt the same norms that the United States introduced in 1966 that have since been honored by other democratic countries. "We are here to ask for a FOIA proposal to be included in the government agenda, to be launched in the coming days," said Roberto Natale, president of Italy's journalists' union FNSI. The initiative has gained the support of various scholars, politicians and associations, including FIEG, the Italian newspaper publishers' association. "Quality of information is a common good," said Giulio Anselmi, president of FIEG as well as ANSA. "Accessing documents is like accessing a foreign language, you need to work at it and study it. Only then can we address the needs of citizens". photo: Roberto Natale, president of Italy's journalists' union