Abstract
Passed in 1966, The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided nearly thirty years of access to government information virtually unmatched throughout the world. Used heavily by the media, it has been virtually ignored by sociologists. Nonetheless, it promises access to a potential wealth of data for sociological research. Following a brief discussion of the history of federal information policy and the FOIA, some suggestions for possible research applications are made. Implications for further research are presented, including the emergence of two new classes, information “haves” and information “have-nots,” indicating a new dimension for stratification research in contemporary society.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Bibliography
Abramovitz, Mimi. 1985. “Secrecy in the Welfare State.”Social Policy 15:52–55.
Adler, Allan Robert. 1990.Using the Freedom of Information Act: A Step by Step Guide. Washington D.C.: American Civil Liberties Union.
Aronowitz, Stanley. 1988.Science as Power: Discourse and Idology in Modern Society. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
Barker, Carol M., and Matthew H. Fox. 1972.Classified Files: The Yellowing Pages. New York: The Twentieth Century Fund.
Committee on Government Operations. 1987.A Citizen’s Guide on Using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request Government Records. Washongton, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Cooper, Phillip J. 1986. “The Supreme Court, the First Amendment, and Freedom of Information.”Public Administration Review 46:622–28.
Cronkite, Walter. 1985. “Remarks Before the National Association of Broadcasters Convention.”Journal of Broadcast & Electronic Media 4:451–53.
Daugherty, Rebecca. 1987.How to Use the Federal Freedom of Information Act. Washington, D.C.: FOI Service Center.
Demac, Donna. 1984.Keeping America Uninformed. New York: Pilgrim.
Denniston, Lyle. 1989a. “Court Bans FOIA Probe of Central Files.”Washington Journalism Review 11 (May): 10.
———. 1989b. “FOIA Ruling Helpful to Media.”Washington Journalism Review 11 (October): 61.
Diesing, Paul. 1991.How Does Social Science Work: Reflections on Practice. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh.
Dorfman, Ron. 1987. “Privacy Yes, Secrecy No.”The Quill. 75:12–13.
———. 1988. “Stop the Secrecy Freaks.”The Quill 76:13–14.
Etzioni, Amitai. 1978. “FBI and the Scientific Community.”Science News 114(20).
Fay, Brian. 1975.Social Theory and Political Practice. London: Allen and Unwin.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Talcott Parsons.” File Headquarters 100-390459. Washington, D.C.: FBI Freedom of Information-Privacy Acts Section.
Feinberg, Lotte E. 1986. “Managing the Freedom of Information Act and Federal Information Policy.”Public Administration Review 46:615–21.
Frantzich, Stephen. 1989. “It’s Time for Scholars to be Heard.”PS 22:78–79.
Hernon, Peter. 1979.Uses of Government Publications by Social Scientists. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
——— and Charles R. McClure. 1987.Federal Information Policies in the 1980’s. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
Horkheimer, Max. 1972.Critical Theory: Selected Essays. New York: Herder and Herder.
Jones, U. Lynn. 1988–1989. “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: The Information Control Policy of the Reagan Administration.”Policy Studies Journal 17:243–60.
Keen, Mike Forrest. 1992. “The FBI and American Sociology.”Footnotes 20:14.
Kleeman, Richard P. 1989. “Life on the FOIA Front.”The Quill 77:18–19.
Kuhn, Thomas. 1970.The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd edition. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Marsh, Norman S. 1987.Public Access to Freedom of Information: A Comparative Symposium. London: Stevens and Son.
Mendelsohn, Everett. 1977. “The Social Production of Scientific Knowledge.” P. 3–36 inSociology of the Sciences, vol. 1,The Social Production of Scientific Knowledge, ed. E. Mendelsohn, P. Weingart, and R. Whitley. Boston: D. Reidel.
Merton, Robert. 1970.Science, Technology, and Society in Seventeenth Century England. New York: Harper and Row.
Michael, James. 1987. “Freedom of Information in the United States of America.” Pp. 55–86 inPublic Access to Government Held Information: A Comparative Symposium, ed. Norman S. Marsh. London: Stevens and Sons.
Miller, Page Putnam. 1988. “Status Report on the Freedom of Information Act.PS 21: 87–90.
Mulkay, Michael J. 1979.Science and the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Allen and Unwin.
Relyea, Harold C. 1989a. “Access to Government Information: Rights and Restrictions. Pp. 141–160. inUnited States Government Information Policy: Views and Perspectives, by Charles McClure, Peter Hernon, and Harold C. Relyea. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Relyea, Harold C. 1989b. “Historical Development of Federal Information Policy.” Pp. 25–50 inUnited States Government Information Policy: Views and Perspectives, by Charles McClure, Peter Hernon, and Harold C. Relyea. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Sanford, Bruce W. 1986. “Key Players in the FOI Sweepstakes.”The Quill 74:5, 40
Shil, Harold B. 1989. “NTIS and the Privatization of Government Information.” Pp. 205–222 inUnited States Government Policy: Views and Perspectives by Charles McClure, Peter Hernon, and Harold C. Relyea. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Trask, David F. 1984.User’s Guide to the FOIA. Bloomington, IN: Organization of American Historians.
Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. 1974.Freedom of Information Act Service Book: Legislative Materials, Cases, Articles. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Washington Researchers Publishing. 1988.How to Use the Freedom of Information Act. Washington, D.C.: Washington Researchers Limited.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Keen, M.F. The freedom of information act and sociological research. Am Soc 23, 43–51 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02691907
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02691907