May 9, 2002

To: National Desk
Contact: Melinda Cooke of the National Press Club, 202-662-7516

WASHINGTON, May 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by National Press Club President John Aubuchon: A provision of the new farm bill, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, erects a significant barrier to reporting and is an unfortunate rollback of public access to information. It is unfortunate that Congress has decided to begin shielding from public
view information about how farmers use the subsidies they receive.

Section 1244 (b) of the bill now given final House and Senate approval would prohibit access to proprietary information regarding subsidies to farmers participating in farm conservation programs.  Subsidy recipients' names and addresses along with the amount they receive will remain public, but details of how that money is used
will be shrouded.

Records of subsidy use have been key elements in stories in rural newspapers. In large publications they have been used to expose fraud and threats to health and the environment posed by certain uses of the subsidies. We deeply regret that contrary to the spirit of the First Amendment, the new legislation will hide information that would help our readers, viewers and listeners make informed decisions about their government.

The National Press Club applauds a provision in the bill that
calls for creating a system to allow journalists and the public to track farm subsidies. However, such tracking should include specific spending information.

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The National Press Club is an organization of nearly 4,200
journalists, public information officers and regular news sources in
Washington, D.C., and around the globe.

http://www.usnewswire.com /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

05/09 17:47

Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire