“People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.” is what President Nixon was quoted saying after the infamous Watergate Scandal. Although occurring over fifty years ago, the event shows the deep rooted effects of nondisclosure in national trust. In 1958, it was shown that 73% of Americans stated they trusted the government’s judgment/decisions but by 1974, when Nixon left office, only 36% of Americans said they trusted the government. Americans find trust an integral component of the functionality and productivity of the nation and thus believe that if the U.S. government was more transparent, less misinformation would be spread and Americans could more accurately partake in government processes such as voting. According to Pew Research, 69% of Americans believe the federal government withholds information from the public intentionally while on the contrary only 29% of Americans believe the U.S. releases as much information as possible. Individuals from both ends of the political spectrum do place distrust in how transparent the United States government is, albeit in different topics.
The DATA Act seeks to implement a standardized data standard nationwide in order to provide better transparency while the OPEN Government Data Act makes it a requirement for federal agencies to release found information as open data. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows public requests to private information. Agencies and companies have continually adhered to these policies, the only exceptions being time delays, but regardless government distrust still persists. This is because lack of undisclosed information is not the only source of government distrust. To tackle the issue of trust in government, prospected goals should be fulfilled. Because the source of distrust lies in inaction, it can be posited that distrust caused by lack of transparency has been effectively tackled.
Transparency should continue to persist in this manner within policy as the implementation of disclosure better facilitates trust with the public. Transparency bridges gaps in understanding which may not prevent events from occurring but by addressing public risks and issues, the government can better show how they would address these issues. By promoting transparency, consistency within policy can be assured as well as more accountability within the system. Although, there should be careful consideration in regard to national security so in order to maintain trust while ensuring national security, a balance should be established.
Works Cited
Frommer, Frederic. “50 Years Ago, a President under Investigation Declared, “I’m Not a Crook.”” Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/11/17/nixon-not-a-crook-trump/.
Balz, Dan. “Watergate Happened 50 Years Ago. Its Legacies Are Still with Us.” Washington Post, 12 June 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/12/watergate-trust-government-reforms/.
Pew Research Center. “Americans’ Struggles with Truth, Accuracy, Accountability.” Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy, 22 July 2019, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/americans-struggles-with-truth-accuracy-and-accountability/.
Office, U. S. Government Accountability. “Federal Information Transparency | U.S. GAO.” Www.gao.gov, 3 Dec. 2014, www.gao.gov/federal-information-transparency.
Obama, Barack. “Transparency and Open Government.” The White House, 21 Jan. 2009, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the_press_office/Transparency_and_Open_Government.
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