Smithsonian moves toward FOIA.

• Position: FOIA - Freedom of Information Act - Smithsonian Institution - Brief article

The Smithsonian Institution, which has long operated outside the reach of The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), has implemented an FOIA-like policy.

The policy includes many elements of the open records law, while allowing the quasi-governmental agency to withhold more of its private funding data, according to Regent Shirley Ann Jackson.

The Smithsonian, created by Congress as a federal trust, has been exempt from such requirements since the mid-1990s, when the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington decided FOIA would apply to the Smithsonian only if Congress said so.

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The Smithsonian has been under fare for its secrecy practices, including asserting privacy rights for animals at the National Zoo as well as the questionable use of about $2 million in institution funds by the former secretary--stories brought to light by The Washington Post.

Last July, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) introduced legislation that sought to remove the Smithsonian's FOIA and Sunshine Act exemption entirely, forcing the organization to hold meetings in public...