Transparency in the First 100 Days | Methodology

A Note on Methodology

What the Report Card covers

The purpose of this report card is to evaluate the Obama administration's record of transparency in matters bearing on national security policy. We therefore address actions specific to that area, such as claims of "state secrets privilege" or the release of legal memoranda regarding interrogation techniques. We also address actions that are more general in their scope if they could affect national security matters. For example, restoring a presumption of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) may enhance the public's ability to obtain unclassified documents relating to counter-terrorism policies. We have not addressed transparency issues that are specific to other issues, such as the operation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Grading

Almost any action at the 100-day point could be subject to future revision; but assigning a grade of "incomplete" to every item would defeat the purpose of assessing the administration's performance thus far. Our solution was a tripartite system:

For actions that already have produced a concrete effect, we assigned a letter grade, even if future events may change the "final" grade.
For actions that have symbolic or promissory value, but require follow-up by the administration in order to have a concrete effect, we graded the symbolic/promissory action—but added an asterisk.
For actions whose value depends entirely on future action by the administration, we assigned a designation of "Incomplete."

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