The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

Savannah (Georgia) Morning News

on Janet Napolitano

If the boss asks for the "Jones file," the proper response is to hand over the file, not conduct a secretive investigation on just why the boss wants the file and what he might do with it.

That simple construct seems to have escaped Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The public is the boss. She is the employee. When requests are made for information (provided its release does not compromise national security), it doesn't matter who is asking or how they intend to use the information.

Government employees have no right to sit on public documents, just because it might prove politically embarrassing to someone in high places. Until The Associated Press uncovered the practice, the Department of Homeland Security filtered all requests for politically sensitive materials (a broadly defined category) through political officers.

These government employees were paid to probe the identities of the individuals requesting the information, looking into where the requesters lived, whether they were reporters and details about their organisations. ...

Flagged for special review were requests for details on any Obama policy priority, or any request filed by lawmakers, journalists, activist groups or watchdog organisations. In other words, anyone who might cause a flap and alert the public about what the government was doing. ...

The DHS is not the Office on Fluffy Bunnies. The department has real power with the real potential for abuse. Using that power to investigate citizens making requests that might prove politically embarrassing sets a troubling precedent. ...