What cost freedom of information?
Our right to access information is front and centre today courtesy of WikiLeaks.
Not so long ago, in my day job, I had to defend that very same right. It’s one that is absolutely core to our professional values. For me it was also quite a public affair played out in the main stream media – newspapers, talkback radio and television (although clearly not on the same scale) . Social media was also in full swing with blogs and tweets flying around the country and globally. Some powerful lobby groups and politicians had firm views on the matter and didn’t hesitate to express them.
It reinforced for me what a precarious path we walk in ensuring free and uncensored information for our communities.
Opposition to free and uncensored information came, at the time, from some unlikely sources. But then, perhaps I really shouldn’t have been so surprised to see that some of the greatest opponents were those I had assumed would normally be in support of one of our core values. They weren’t in this particular instance, because the information didn’t suit them. It was abundently clear that the most important consideration in the debate was promotion of a particular position, not the right for people to have access to alternate views and ideas and for the community and individuals to make up their own minds.
Whilst my own experience is nothing compared to that of Julian Assange, I can’t help but draw parallels. Calls to suppress information are usually underpinned by an argument that the information presents a danger to society or to individuals and therefore those who think they know best argue it should be suppressed. The debate about right to the information and allowing individuals to come to their own conclusions becomes overwhelmed by the argument about the dangers to society. The person seen to be upholding the right of freedom of access is often the target of some quite personal and vitriolic attacks, usually from those who are challenged or perhaps embarrased by the infromation itself. As is often the case, the defence of this right often has a very high personal cost.
The lesson I learnt from my own experience is that both as a profession and as individuals we must remain vigilant and ready to defend this core value. Is it worth the cost we will sometimes have to pay - yes absolutely! Whilst information has perhaps never been more freely available, increasingly there are those who seek to control and censor that information – governments, politicians, special interest groups and individuals. There has never been a more important time for us as a profession to stand up for our core professional values.
ALIA’s position on this matter is clear and as professionals we need to stand tall in the face of opposition. At the time, I found it useful to point to the statements of our professional values on the ALIA website. http://www.alia.org.au/policies/free.access.html
For me there was one shining moment during my recent experience – a talk back radio session on whether listeners thought (public) libraries had a role as a place in which discussion and debate on sometimes controversial issues should take place. The response was an overwhelming yes!
Thankfully, I sense the same community support for our right to freedom of information emerging now.
Margaret Allen
Vice President