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The article centers on how classified information has been handled by the U.S. government and how it can be accessed by civilians. Executive Order 13526 states how national security classification should be managed. US citizens can request federal government information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Secret documents website WikiLeaks, made classified information accessible to the public but its contents were treated as nuisance in 2010.

The article presents the author's analysis on the issue in connection with the declassification of classified documents held by federal agencies in the U.S. He argues that declassification will lead to substantial national changes and will help incorporate different vantage points of leaders within the realm of the political and military government. He believes that the recommendations of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) on the issue slated in December 2007 are substantive.

The author discusses the schemes and challenges in collecting government information for international survey data. He cited various problems of government information librarians in collecting survey data, which includes cost, availability and difficult contract negotiations, and confidentiality. However, he also featured a web site developed by the International Household Survey Network (IHSN), an organization that aims to improve the quality, use and availability of survey data from developing country. Moreover, he suggested consulting with faculty, graduate students, negotiation with survey producers, cooperate with consortiums, make strategic datasets purchase and hiring of legal specialists to deal with legal issues in foreign governments.

The article explores developments surrounding government information policy and secrecy in the U.S. In the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Congress gave OMB the authority for, and charged it with, a broad range of responsibilities related to information management. Amendments to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) added a purpose to the Act to maximize the usefulness of information collected and disseminated by the Federal Government. Circular A-130 was revised in 1994 in a manner that makes informing the public an integral part of agency missions.

The article presents a perspective on the availability and secrecy of government information. It has been found out that many groups who watch what goes on in the information-availability world. In theory, American citizen would be able to request government information and have that information sent to him or her. However, what the information is will determine whether you get it. Furthermore, there is sometimes the runaround you receive before finding out that the report you want falls under one of the nine exception rules that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has established.

The article reports on developments in the legislative and executive branch of the U.S. Government and other independent establishments. The Senate bill Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, which was introduced by Senator Thomas Coburn on April 6, 2006 was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on September 26, 2006. On August 2, 2006, Senator Christopher Bond introduced Senate bill 3774, To Amend Title 18 of the United States Code, that would give the executive branch broad discretion power in the persecution of individuals accused of disclosing classified government information. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a proposal that would allow facilities to disclose limited information on their finances and activities.

The article reports on the establishment of a task force by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to be responsible for the review of the Freedom Information Act regarding security-related government information in the U.S. The commission aimed at determining the extent to which information may be kept back from public disclosure. A report was released stating the move of the commission in developing guidance for conducting a broad security/sensitivity screening under the Sensitive Information Screening Project. Moreover, it has adopted a policy that the withholding of sensitive information from public disclosure should be in line with the principles of the act for withholding these kind of information.

The article reports on the pronouncement from the U.S. Department of Defense that the policy on investigating unauthorized disclosures of classified information has been revised and expanded. The directive was attached with a Department of Justice Media Leak Questionnaire that has eleven standard questions pertaining to unauthorized disclosures of classified information to the media that must be answered, such as whether the information was properly classified.