The administration is publishing executive orders and proclamations for public review, as well as non-emergency legislation for comment before it is signed by the president.It also looks like they’ve set aside some cyperspace to post the clubby, previously guarded press pool reports circulated only among White House reporters and the communications staff in the past, excluding the occasional leak to a blog or website.
This might tone down the pool dispatches, which often included quips and insidery minutiae that brought out the personalities of the reporters designated as the pool scribe for the day, but it's a good way to get the raw basis for much of the national press coverage of the president out into the public's hands.
Much has already been made about the new White House blog, although not much is happening there yet beyond the text of President Obama’s inaugural speech yesterday.
But even posting that speech is worth noting, because in other parts of the world leaders felt compelled to censor the 18-minute address. As the AP reported: “China censored its translation of President Barack Obama's inauguration speech, removing references to communism and dissent, and quickly halted state television's live broadcast of the address when Cold War-era animosities were mentioned.”
China’s official state news agency as well as the China Daily website clipped out the word “communism” from the speech.
Let's hope the digital awakening at the White House is just beginning. Opening up that blog to comments would be another step in the right direction.
(Photo: DailyMail.co.uk)