Sept. 28 is International Right to Know Day. Why is this important? Fluidity between government and the information it holds and citizens is an essential component of a healthy democracy. Information empowers people. From the web site:

The right of access to information is an important human right, necessary for the enjoyment of other human rights.
The right to information is essential for transparent and accountable government. The right of access to information makes possible the public involvement in formulating social policies and in the decision-making processes of governance.
The right to information can only be effectively exercised and implemented on the basis of laws, regulating this right in accordance with international standards.

As a reporter, I have now filed Access to Information requests in three countries: Canada, the U.S. and Jamaica. I have yet to receive answers from the U.S. I made almost three years ago (no reason given) and Canada (information was deemed too sensitive because it was related to financial transactions). By far, Jamaica was the most responsive and professional. In fact, Jamaica ranks 13th in terms of press freedom. I must give credit to the excellent Access to Information office here in Jamaica, which was so helpful in speeding up the process and telling me how to go about making such a request.

In Jamaica, I recently interviewed a federal official for the television report I did for Global Reporters of the Caribbean. Here’s a rundown of the experience:

I interviewed (former) Lt. Col. Sean Prendergast on June 12. To his credit, he was extremely open with his time and access (I got his cellphone number and was not afraid to use it), although the Ministry of National Security stonewalled us when it came to touring the prisons. We filed an Access to Information request the same day we interviewed him (both by email and paper copy). Lt. Col. Prendergast promised us a 24-hour turnaround. In fact, it was 37 DAYS.

In Jamaica, government departments and officials are given 30 days to respond to ATI requests. My request was related to juveniles placed in adult prisons (a phenomenon in Jamaica that contravenes international protocol but has now been rectified, or so they claim), as well as suicide attempts in prison. Sensitive information, to be sure, and information the public deserves to know.

I received an almost complete answer on Jul. 18, which is just over 30 days. This was after four follow up emails and many calls. The ATI office got involved at some point because I was not getting any response from the Department.

I filed a follow-up request August 15, sent three follow up emails and made many calls and received the response on Sept. 15, with almost no helpful information. To be fair, by this time Lt. Col. Prendergast had left his post and the new commissioner had assumed the role.

So while the process was difficult in terms of following up and pursuing the request (I don’t think we would have received a response so quickly had we not pushed it), in comparison to other countries, it was relatively quick and easy. The ATI office itself seems to me to be helpful and assumes a relatively independent role in terms of advocating for the public.

Accessing information in Jamaica is a curious activity. Many documents and much information you might now take for granted as being online (like government meeting minutes or financial documents) are simply not there. It seems Jamaica is slow in getting information onto the Internet, which makes for a challenging research experience. As a result, research is more old-fashioned, as in you much pick up the telephone or literally go and visit someone who has the institutional memory, or you must go and physically read archived documents. Which, in my mind, is not necessarily a bad thing.

In any case, I would characterize Jamaica’s Access to Information process as healthy. One caveat: I experienced it as a foreigner and I have heard from local non-governmental organizations that they have had a more challenging experience. Enjoy your Monday and go file an Access to Information request!