This post is adapted from CJ Ciaramella's weekly Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. The most transparent administration in history, an ongoing series At a three-day convention of the American Society of News Editors, the Associated Press Media Editors and the Associated Press Photo Managers, leading U.S. reporters and editors did not have nice things to say about the Obama administration: Threats to press freedom around the world are at an all-time high. Sign up to stay up to date and take action to protect journalists and whistleblowers everywhere. Thanks for signing up for our newsletter. You are not yet subscribed! Please check your email for a message asking you to confirm your subscription. "The White House push to limit access and reduce transparency has essentially served as the secrecy road map for all kinds of organizations — from local and state governments to universities and even sporting events," Brian Carovillano, AP managing editor for U.S. news, said during a panel discussion. James Risen, a New York Times reporter who is facing potential jail time as he battles government efforts to force him to testify at the trial of a former CIA officer accused of leaking classified information, also spoke at the conference. Risen said intense pressure on reporters and their sources is having a chilling effect on newsgathering. He spoke of scaring one source just by going to his home and knocking on the front door. "He opened the door and he turned white," Risen said. "He marches me back through the kitchen (to a back exit) and said, "'Go out that way.'" The AP's Washington bureau chief, Sally Buzbee, didn't pull any punches, listing eight ways the Obama administration is blocking information. Here's the two related to FOIA: 6) One of the media — and public’s — most important legal tools, the Freedom of Information Act, is under siege. Requests for information under FOIA have become slow and expensive. Many federal agencies simply don’t respond at all in a timely manner, forcing news organizations to sue each time to force action. 7) The administration uses FOIAs as a tip service to uncover what news organizations are pursuing. Requests are now routinely forwarded to political appointees. At the agency that oversees the new health care law, for example, political appointees now handle the FOIA requests. In response, the administration issued its regular non-statement when asked about the disparity between its stated commitment to transparency and its actions: "Over the past six years, federal agencies have gone to great efforts to make government more transparent and more accessible than ever, to provide people with information that they can use in their daily lives, and to solicit public participation in government decision-making and thus tap the expertise that resides outside of government." "Gone to great efforts" is an interesting choice of words. From Watchdog.org: [W]histleblowing is on the rise, according to Carolyn Lerner, chief attorney in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. “The numbers are through the roof,” Lerner reported. The outcomes aren’t necessarily good news for taxpayers or advocates of open government. Of 2,900 cases last year, 1,400 involved retaliation against whistleblowers, and whistleblowers prevailed less than a quarter of the time. “There is a new trend,” said Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project. “(Washington) is making it a crime to blow the whistle. You have the choice of resigning or facing charges. That’s chilling.” LAWSUITS CIA journal trove: Following a lawsuit, Jeffrey Scudder forced the CIA to declassify a trove of "Studies in Intelligence," the agency's in-house journal. The Washington Post has a good rundown of the juicier tidbits. The full release is here. The release also gives us our redaction of the week, courtesy of Jon Swaine, from an account of the morning of 9/11: USA TODAY obtains Senate rule book: Transparency groups have been trying for years to get their hands on the Senate's secret rule book, which governs how Senators do everything from obtain a piano for a Hill event to chartering a boat. The Senate Ethics Committee finally forked over a copy to USA Today. Boston Metro profiles Ryan Shapiro: Vigilant newsletter readers and FOIA nerds are no doubt familiar with Ryan Shapiro's work. Boston Metro has a nice profile of his and Jason Leopold's work. Money quote: “The democratic process cannot meaningfully function without an informed citizenry, and such a citizenry is impossible without broad public access to information about the operations of government,” said Shapiro recently. “It’s time for the CIA and the rest of the U.S.