Information management

Sir Francis Bacon's Meditationes Sacrae, published in 1597, explains that acquiring and sharing knowledge is power. Considering that we live in a time of both peace and peril with no historical precedent, his work offers something to think about.

From his line of thought, it has been argued that secrecy provides people in government exclusive control over certain areas of information, increasing their dominance and making it harder for a free press to check that control.

Forwarding the clock centuries later, a day to observe the freedom of the press was declared to be observed annually on May 3. In 2024, the date has passed with a lower level of discussion defending the ideals of freedom of opinion, press freedom, and the right to know.

A free press, if that is ever possible, can expose government and lobbying groups faux pas. Transparency and openness may be considered virtues, but they do not work in favour of those in power or lobbying groups.

The objective of journalism is not to entertain or amuse. It is to inform, reflect, state the risks and opportunities, and occasionally enrage public opinion.

No government should fear public scrutiny since from that scrutiny comes thoughtful consideration, and from that comes support or opposition. Both are necessary. Withholding information can backfire and miss the opportunity for debate and better understanding.

However, when journalists’ licenses are revoked, media offices are closed, arrests are carried out, and journalists are killed for their work, it feels like a thorn. The dangers of concealing information may outweigh the risks of justifying it.

In a speech in April 1961, John F. Kennedy discussed Francis Bacon’s remarks within the context of the seventeenth-century inventions of that time, the compass, gunpowder, and the printing press. Kennedy stated that “the compass has made us all citizens of the world, the hopes and threats of one becoming the hopes and threats of us all. The evolution of gunpowder has warned mankind of terrible consequences, so it is up to the printing press to be the keeper and courier of mankind’s conscience.”

On Liberty, the Right to Know, and Public Discourse: The Role of Transparency in Public Life Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote: “The (American) government spent significantly more on the Vietnam War than it admitted. One of the problems was that not only did we not know how much it was spending, but we did not even know who knew, and we did not know the extent of the culpability of President Johnson’s economic advisers.”

Information secrecy persisted during the 2003 Iraq invasion and is now being used in the Palestinian killing fields and elsewhere.

The same approach can be applied to oil price fluctuations. Without understanding the reasons for price oscillations or interest-driven crises and conflicts, people are treated like marionettes.

Students’ rallies on campuses around the world in support of Palestine and against arms exports to Israel are theoretically an expression of their feelings and a manifestation of their incapacity to stop the carnage of innocent people.

While politicians and government officials travel up and down the globe with public money, taxpayers see their salaries shrink due to inflation. The press is not allowed to address the issue, nor are citizens permitted to question it. Political and financial decisions are wrapped in secrecy.

There are segments on the global stage that benefit from political and social instability in the Middle East, if not in this region, then in other parts of the world. Journalists bear heavy responsibilities. There is a need for thoughtful consideration of shared responsibility. We should not equate the right to public information with an increased level of official secrecy. The press is not accountable for any country’s administration, and there is only so much the press can do to keep the conscience of mankind awake.