NEW YORK - President Barack Obama's administration sent two anonymous officials to briefreporters on Monday on an initiative designed to promote transparency and accountability bygovernments around the world.
Eight governments, including the United States, plan to release "national action plans" on theInternet describing how they intend to shed light on their operations, including such matters ashow they spend public resources.
"As the old Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis used to say, sunlight is the best ofdisinfectants," said one of the senior US officials, who insisted on speaking on condition ofanonymity.
"Open government is critical because it makes government accountable to the people," theofficial added. "If they can see in, they know what the like, what they don't like, and they canpress for more or less."
Obama will discuss the US initiative at an event on Tuesday with officials from the othercountries - Brazil, Britain, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines and South Africa - andfrom civil society groups.
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