In the 60s, Congress worried the White House was operating too much in secret and passed the Freedom Of Information Act, opening the government to public questioning. It has been an ongoing struggle to pry those secrets loose ever since.
# Summary
This Stuff You Should Know episode dives deep into the Freedom of Information Act and how government secrecy has evolved over decades in the United States. Josh and Chuck trace FOIA's origins from the 1960s through different presidencies, exploring how various administrations have either strengthened or weakened public access to federal documents, and they break down exactly how citizens can file FOIA requests today. The episode reveals the ongoing tension between government transparency and national security, showing how different presidents—from Reagan to Obama—have played political games with information access while citizens and journalists struggle to hold power accountable.
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