94 Reading the News 1 UNIT 10 Freedom of Information 35(5($',1*7$6.6
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they are printed or shown, or a person who is in charge of a -RXUQDOLVWV QHZVSDSHURUPDJD]LQH 5HJXODWRU
E a person or body that supervises a particular industry or business activity. (GLWRU
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When reading an opinion article, it is important to follow the structure of the argument.
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change direction, or present an opposite point of view.
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these phrases in the text. Notice the transition between different opinions.
2. %HORZDUHWKUHHDUJXPHQWVIURPWKHDUWLFOH. 95 Reading the News 1
First, label which paragraphs these three arguments come from.
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government no matter who submit them.
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b. Members of the clearing house said that the information must be managed and warned
that some revelations could sadden former ministers.
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because it is sent by a reporter for openDemocracy. 96 Reading the News 1
Freedom of Information Is a Right, but the Government Is Intent on Suppressing It
From HIV-infected blood to the cladding scandal, the Tories are avoiding democratic scrutiny
By Mary Fitzgerald February 13, 2021 
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contaminated blood transfusion from the
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try to get some answers for himself. 
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as “Orwellian” by the head of the National
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also breaks the law, which is supposed to months, there was nothing.
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editors from rival newspapers across
he was looking for, but then staff from
Fleet Street – including the Guardian and
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Observer, the Times, Telegraph and Paul
said the information had to be “managed”
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that former ministers “will be very sore”
have also called for a number of steps to
about the disclosures which included a
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private acknowledgement from the health
they see as a vital pillar of press freedom.
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authorities had been negligent.
the MPs’ expenses scandal would never
have come to light and our taxes would 
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November, open Democracy revealed
FOHDQLQJ. We’d never have known about
how this secretive clearing house, which
the Prince of Wales’s private lobbying
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Yet now our fundamental right to access
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information and scrutinise the workings of
government is being IDWDOO\XQGHUPLQHG. 97 Reading the News 1
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regulator has slammed the government for
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repeated and “unacceptable” failures. 
Other disclosures suggest that many 
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accident. From ignoring MPs’ parliamentary
the Guardian, the TimesWKH%%&3ULYDF\
questions, to the heavy redacting of details
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of public contracts and the “stonewalling” been treated in similar ways.
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has used the pandemic as D SUHWH[W IRU 
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public statement this week that it is “fully
committed” to transparency, denying there is 
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anything “secret” about the clearing house.
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which says it must release details about
pass for decades – but was told last year
the operation? Why are there no published
that he’s not permitted to ask questions
guidelines or criteria about when requests
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should be referred to it, no published
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statistics on what it reviews? Why does it
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organisation; an epithet also used to smear
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the Guardian and Mirror when they dared
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personal details are shared across Whitehall, LQ%DUQDUG&DVWOH
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extract basic information that we are all 
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Fleet Street to speak with one voice, and
that press freedom in the UK is being
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to cover public service contracts outsourced
secretary is yet to materialise. Meanwhile,
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“exactly the same way … whether or not it’s
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answers about the clearing house, too.
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it’s our right, and its corrosion has profound
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telling local councils it is “appropriate” 98 Reading the News 1
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believe we are piecing together one of
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it’s “intolerable” that so many people, place in a generation.”
like his father, “have been killed due to
Whitehall action – and now we’re having
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in the process due to Whitehall action”.
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contracts outsourced to private companies amid rising pressure. 92&$%8/$5<:25.
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EXAMPLE: information (N) …inform… operate (V)…operation… access…(V/N)… a. die i. investigation b. compare MSURFHVV c. reveal k. organisation d. release l. claim e. strengthen m.acknowledgement f. demand n. transfusion g. respond o. criticism h. extract p. government 99 Reading the News 1
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e. the government’s “vindictive” response to media criticism
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…………………………………………………………………………………………… 100 Reading the News 1
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Read the article and answer the following questions.
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The Government’s Relentless Push for Development Is Destroying Rural England
Local action alone can’t fix the Tories’ broken planning system. We need a
national fightback. By Ros Coward February 17, 2021 
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been talking about discovering the wonder
of nature during lockdown and there are
constant reports of droves moving out of
towns and cities for more pastoral locations. 2
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actions groups protesting, petitioning and
even praying to save precious stretches of
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marsh at Swanscombe is targeted for a vast
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theme park billed as “the UK’s answer to
new view isn’t earmarked for development. Disney World”. 3
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are usually made up of inexperienced,
heartbreaking images of wrecked nature
previously apolitical, locals. Out of necessity
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current level of destructive development
only one in a vast catalogue of destructive
is a nationwide problem requiring a
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developments are changing the character
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of the countryside towards urban sprawl.
on green belt that is also precious peatland.
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Meanwhile there are countrywide protests wildlife.
against the government’s road building spree.
7KHWensum link in Norfolk; the Stonehenge 6
What’s enabling this destruction is the
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national planning system, which ought
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to protect local communities, but now Lancashire, to name but a few.
disempowers them. Planning has been
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pouring concrete will get us out of
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recession, the other that there’s a general
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housing crisis rather than an affordability
been designated for industrialisation,
crisis. Local challenges to these views are
and now another ecologically important
steamrollered as merely nimbyism. 102 Reading the News 1 7
Since the coalition government introduced
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the national planning policy framework
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LQ  the planning system has
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on the unsuspecting residents of Dover.
legislation insisted councils set housing
Local opposition is virtually irrelevant
targets but they lacked land to meet those
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numbers. Local authorities were forced to
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having attended one such inquiry where
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local experts were openly mocked by some
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green belt has been released or included in
about biodiversity and speaks of supporting councils’ local plans”.
nature’s recovery and protecting green belts,
digressing once about families picnicking 8
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in “wild belts” DPLG ÀRXULVKLQJ ÀRUD DQG
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a backbench rebellion and a rethink of the
hats for photo ops, promoting “build,
algorithm used to calculate housing targets,
build, build” and saying he won’t let
the housing secretary still wants to impose
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along with a presumption in favour of
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democratic. Housing targets will be imposed
he would push through the much delayed
by central government and local input
environment bill, which could provide a
sidelined. Yet the housing developments
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increase the number of affordable homes. tsunami of destruction.
Developers don’t want to build cheap
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Meanwhile developers shun available
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put forward a democratic, ecologically 9 7KH JRYHUQPHQW¶V LQIUDVWUXFWXUH
aware vision of what planning could do in
policies are an even more blatant assault
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waging their lonely battles need this
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LQ WKH FURZQ WKUHDWHQHG E\ 6L]HZHOO & need it before it is too late.
or the proposal for a million houses on ([WUD5HDGLQJ7DVNV
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