Privacy Rights & Freedom of the Press

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Dear Student,
I wrote this sample essay to demonstrate how your inquiry might be discussed in an essay while bringing to light contemporary issues and concerns on Privacy, Crime & Press Freedoms. Adopt it as you will for your particular paper. I recommend that you divide the issues as I did (in this case under 2 particular focus) or you can design it as you will, with a focus on a section at the very end to discuss your own opinion, which is what I also did but as a particular part of a larger topic. You will notice that I wrote in a rather 'opinionated' manner since the issues presented allow for much discussion & opinions. The very last paragraph though sort of 'connects' my own concerns on the issue from the very beginning of my essay, you can choose to expand this more than I did though. Good luck.

OTA 105878
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The Freedom of Information Act & Privacy

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is the application of the Freedom of Information legislation signed into law by Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and subsequently amended in 2002. The FOIA allows for the full or partial release of documentation and information held private by the Government of the United States. An outline of mandatory disclosure procedure, definition of agency records subject to disclosure and an explanation of the nine exemptions to the statute is provided for within the FOIA. The birth of the FOIA was a subsequent answer to the people's clamour of a 'right to know' about particular issues & government proceedings that affected their lives especially since the 60's ushered in the height of the Cold War that further developed into a War of Proxy in Vietnam. While the FOIA did appease the public, Presidential Powers allows for placing limitations upon the FOIA especially when it comes to matters of National Security or issues that affect governance.

While there are matters that remain classified for the longest period of time, most government records pertaining to records are usually available upon request through the FOIA. As such, the FOIA plus its ammendations is a reflection of the state of Privacy rights held by individuals, that while a common idea of what they are influence what we normally think of as private, when confronted with situations in which we feel that particularly being run over when we are embroiled in some form of legal proceedings the natural inclination is to try and take control of the situation so as to keep what we deem as private from public consumption. Of late after 9-11 law enforcement and individuals have increasingly been wary of videographers and photo-tourists that in the name of national security several unsuspecting foreign ...