Archive for February 23rd, 2010
DorobekINSIDER: On NewsChannel 8 talking government openness and transparency — the liner notes
UPDATE: See the video of me on NewsChannel 8 here.
I will be on DC’s NewsChannel 8’s Federal News Tonight — and we’re going to talk about the Obama administration’s transparency and open government initiative.
Of course, on January 21, 2009, President Obama, in one of his first acts, signed the open government directive. That set out a process that took longer then many people expected, but agencies from February 6 through March 19 are in the process of looking for citizen input on their open government plans.
This is part of a pretty amazing change in mindset for agencies — asking for help.
But there is a broader question about the open government initiative: Does it help agencies accomplish their missions better?
The poster child for transparency is the Recovery.gov Web site — it is the Web site for the Recovery, Transparency and Accountability Board to demonstrate how the $787 billion stimulus bill is being spent. And in many ways, the recovery board has been bludgeoned by transparency — and we all remember the stories about the incorrect congressional districts that were on the Recovery.gov Web site. But many open government advocates suggest these kinds of incorrect data are the reason for transparency — the data was fixed because it was identified and highlighted. It was part of the idea behind transparency and open government –crowdsourcing oversight. And open government advocates suggest that those kinds of data errors are there, but it often will go un-fixed. In the case of Recovery.gov, it has been fixed because of openness and transparency.
Last week on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke to Jake Brewer, director of engagement at the Sunlight Foundation, about his piece, 9 assumptions at the heart of open government. His take was that this is important for government — and you can hear that conversation here.
But if open government is to really take hold, it has to be more than theory — it has to be more then apple pie. It has to actually enable agencies to better accomplish their missions. And there is some early evidence that transparency and open government does have an impact on how people view their government.ForeSee Results, the company that does assessments of how well citizens trust government Web sites, has recently completed the first of its kind survey of how people — citizens — view transparency and open government. They call it the E-Government Transparency Index [registration required]. And Larry Freed, the president and CEO of ForeSee Results, tells Federal News Radio that there is a very real impact.
If you make your Web site more transparent — if you make government more transparent — not only are you going to have the feel-good things that are so important about how citizens feel and how they trust government, but it’s actually going to lower the cost of delivering information, because more and more people will utilize the Web to get that information.
Hear our conversation with Freed here.
But there is a larger concept at play here — the concept of “we the people.” It is part of the concept behind government 2.0 and, without being too melodramatic, democracy — that is that all of us are smarter then each of us individually. There are now tools out there that enable people to tap into the wisdom of crowds — and that demands openness and transparency.
And tonight on News Channel 8’s Federal News Tonight in the 7:30p ET half-hour.
Meanwhile, some resources on the Obama administration’s open government and transparency initiative.
* The Open Government Tracker — a “dashboard” of the open government initiative tracking ideas, comments and votes from most agency open government forums… created by feds during “snowmagedon.”
* The DorobekINSIDER Reader: Transparency, open government and data.gov [[May 22, 2009]
* The White House Open Government page
* Federal News Radio: ‘Trust framework’ adoption makes federal agencies more open
* Government Executive: Analysis: Transparent leadership starts from within
DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 14-20: Snow, Drabkin, and your TSP
The most read stories from the week of February 14-20, 2010… on the DorobekInsider.com, on the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, for Mike Causey, and for FederalNewsRadio.com…
…from the DorobekInsider.com…
- DorobekINSIDER poll: Did OPM make the right decision to open DC offices on Friday?
- DorobekINSIDER: OPM: DC back at work, but… let’s be careful out there
- DorobekINSIDER: GSA procurement guru Drabkin to retire
- DorobekINSIDER: Turnbull to be acting Energy CIO; Energy Deputy CIO Staton also retiring
- DorobekINSIDER: CA CIO Teri Takai to be named DOD CIO
- DorobekINSIDER poll: What should the federal government’s operating status in DC be for Tuesda
- DorobekINSIDER: OPM’s Berry: Use flexibilities to deal with snowpoclypse type events
- DorobekINSIDER: Back to work for feds in DC, OPM defends closure decisions
- DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Johnson speaks to employees – here is what she said
- DorobekINSIDER: Most read items from Feb. 7-13: Snow and the OPM director
- DorobekINSIDER: Johnson sworn in as GSA administrator — telework style
- DorobekInsider: OMB hires performance guru Shelley Metzenbaum
- DorobekInsider: Energy Department CIO to retire after 45 years of public service
- DorobekINSIDER poll: What should be the federal government’s operating status for FRIDAY?
- DorobekINSIDER poll: What should be the federal government’s operating status for Thursday?
- DorobekINSIDER: GSA’s Martha Johnson to be sworn in Tuesday, Feb. 9
- DorobekINSIDER: Welcome to the new GSA administrator, Martha N. Johnson
- DorobekInsider: USDA gets approval for employee buy outs from OPM as mega-management reorg continues
- DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: USDA undertakes extensive management reorg – downgrading the CIO, CF
- DorobekINSIDER: DC snowpocalypse delays swearing in ceremony for GSA’s Johnson
- DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: NASA scores Gardner as the new Goddard CIO
… from the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…
- TSP participant behavior was strong, steady during crisis
- Analysis: Senior Correspondent Mike Causey on snow closings
- GAO on NASA’s management and program challenges
- OPM Director Berry doesn’t regret decision to open
- Why China isn’t the number one cyber threat to the U.S.
- What’s happening with former NSPS feds?
- Lessons learned, best practices on telework examined after blizzard
- Thursday Afternoon Federal Newscast
- Friday Afternoon Federal Newscast
- How to bust silos and foster collaboration
- Analysis: Snow, closings set historic record for federal government
- Energy CIO Pyke on retirement: ‘It’s been a wonderful career’
- Government contractors and the living wage
- Agency transparency on the Web leads to citizen trust
- Getting more feds to telework might be harder than it sounds
- Sunlight Foundation wants to take open government to the next level
- Coordinated ZeuS attack threatens federal agencies
- OPM: Federal government closed Tuesday
- Earnings down for many TSP accounts in January
- OPM makes call on snow closings
- Amtower: Bloomberg enters B2G market
- DoD gives vendors new rules to protect data
- DHS issues new RFP on national cyber attacks
- Teleworking is not just about working at home
- Now a good time to review where your money is in the TSP
- The ’12 Principles of Computer Network Operations’, 8 years later
- Wednesday Afternoon Federal Newscast
- Simulated cyberattack coming next week
- USCG Commandant steps down
- Congress will debate TSP contributions this session
- GSA’s Alliant one year later
- OMB’s Sunstein delivers remarks on regulatory change
- Suggestions for federal labor-management relations
- Miranda rights, prosecuting terrorists and homeland security
- TSP participants can now move money from other accounts
- On pay raises and what feds really earn
- How will Martha Johnson do as GSA administrator?
- A preview of The Causeys
- OMBWatch wants revised executive order on regulatory process
- All TSP funds see gains in 2009
- NASA’s FY 2011 budget: What’s next?
- Make way for emergency feds, personnel
- Sunstein delivers remarks on regulatory change
- Best practices gained from NextGen deployment
- TSP funds see slow but steady gains in 2009
- High school students learn about IT at DoD
- Contractors wonder about Rep. Murtha replacement
- Operation Jump Start to help troops next week
- Will the D.C. region become a federal disaster area?
…for Mike Causey’s Federal Report…
- Snow Shutdown: The Rules of the Road
- Telecommuting: The Darkside!
- Snow Daze: Wimps Or Lions?
- Shutdown Rules: For Many No Work, No Pay!
- William Henry Harrison Day?
- Respiraling NSPS Converts
… and from FederalNewsRadio.com …
- Feds eye federal operating status as more snow approaches
- Federal govt. open Tuesday under delayed arrival, unscheduled leave
- New federal cookie policy coming soon?
- USCG’s Adm. Thad Allen begins long farewell
- DoD gives vendors new rules to protect data
- OPM’s decision to open gov’t. questioned after horrific commute
- OPM to test new employee health services
- Mikulski asks OPM about retirement system troubles
- DoD pursues Net Generation for IT workforce
- Telework centers offer alternative workspace for feds
- GSA hires IBM to consolidate procurement databases
- OMB’s Sunstein presents new way to look at regulation
- ODNI names new CHCO
- Mass. Comptroller gives Feds thumbs up on stimulus reporting
- Teleworking becomes top of mind for federal government
- Federal govt. open on time on Wed., Feb 17, 2010
- AFFIRMing priorities in federal cybersecurity
- USPTO battles Snowmageddon with telework
- GSA’s Alliant contract attracting early supporters
- DHS to increase the number, diversity of senior leaders
- Defense industry brings Styles to ethics
- Federal government open on Friday, Feb. 12
- OMB’s Zients sets out steps to key productivity boom
- Another way for feds to telework
- Federal government closed on Thursday
- Goals set for first labor-management relations board meeting
- Fed contracting community waits to see who fills Murtha’s shoes
- Senate: Con artists are using stimulus scams to fleece citizens
- Federal government closed on Wednesday
- DoD partially lifts ban on USB drives
- Federal News Radio Reports
- Mobile apps, TechStat lead OMB’s IT evolution
- GSA releases FY 2010 per diem rates
- Exec. order breaks new ground in declassification
- DHS CIO taking on IT governance
- ONDI has new CHCO
- VA sets rules for set-aside program
- OMB to dash(board) to better management
- 2010 Census chaff will benefit children of feds
- TSP Snapshot: Look past the thorns of January
- OMB’s new performance framework to combine the best of the past
- Air Force sets new date for tanker RFP
- FTC hires AT&T to secure Internet gateway
- Government needs to define cyber war
- Agencies to justify not using cloud computing to OMB
- Federal government closed Monday
- DoD makes it official: FCS is cancelled
- OMB finally details broad management doctrine
- Salary Council suggests locality pay increase for 2011
- NMCI to NGEN = 43 months Navy says