EPA Gag Order

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued what amounts to a gag order to its employees, instructing them not to respond to questions from reporters. A memo obtained by the Associated Press shows that EPA workers are being directed to forward emails and calls from the media to the agency’s press officers. Such policies are commonplace in large agencies and – from the organization’s standpoint – usually make sense (one voice, one message, etc.). But rarely are the policies stated so bluntly in a memo or other document or file that can potentially be made public.