Does it ever seem all of modern bureaucracy is standing between you and the database you desire?
Take heart. At least you don't live in Denmark.
The country known for Hans Christian Andersen, big government and interesting furniture has another claim to fame: It has some of the most restrictive data access laws in northern Europe.
In Denmark, obtaining government data in print form works like this: Journalists interested in a particular issue approach the relevant government agency, describe the issue and, hopefully, receive information, explained Nils Mulvad and Flemming Svith, two Danish journalists who attended NICAR's March bootcamp.
No fishing allowed
"In Denmark, you can only get access to information if you know quite a bit about the issue already," Mulvad said. In other words, no fishing expeditions allowed.
Once the journalist and bureaucrat agree upon the issue under discussion, the journalist must be concise. In the register of deeds' office, for example, "you may only ask three questions, then you must come back the next day," Mulvad said.
It is not surprising then that electronic information is strictly off limits. But Mulvad and Svith, reporters for Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's largest national daily, are working to open up the country's trove of public data.
The task has not been easy. Mulvad and Svith are part of a group of journalists, editors and journalism educators that has been negotiating with government officials for months. But in February, they reached a breakthrough: The government agreed to consider opening electronic indices of files, mail and other official documents to journalists.
Such access - which includes only lists of documents, not the documents themselves - is likely to begin this fall, Mulvad said. "It was really exciting after that meeting. Before then, it was like the conversation was taking place in two different rooms."
The prospect of improved openness is exciting for Danish journalists because of the sheer volume of information gathered and archived by the government. The educational system, health care and the national transportation system are just a few of the powerful industries operated by the Danish government.
The country's generous social welfare system requires further government record keeping. Some citizens appear in government databases because of what they receive, such as unemployment insurance or student stipends. Others appear because of what they owe, such as taxes or time in the national penal system. But nearly all Danish citizens appear in at least one database, and most appear in several.
Public opposition
Danes are acutely aware of how much information the government holds about them. As a result, public opinion is squarely against increasing access to electronic databases.
Danish journalists have a few helpful online resources, including Profile, a service similar to Dialog, and Pol Info, which offers newspaper articles, a database of female sources and other sources. Mulvad and Svith said the Internet is a promising source; however, with few Danish sites and almost no government sites, its uses are still limited.
Still, there have been successes. Since Jyllands-Posten installed PCs last year, Mulvad and Svith have purchased Excel, Access, Paradox and SPSS. They created a database of sources for the newsroom after a big story left the staff scrambling for names and telephone numbers. Spreadsheets helped out with a story about debt and price-gouging in the national telephone industry. When Danish physicians began encouraging young women to take large doses of folic acid, Mulvad and Svith used e-mail and listservs to investigate other countries' policies.
As for their biggest challenge, gaining access to government data, Mulvad said he is cautiously optimistic.
"We're testing the borders to see which files we can get out," Mulvad said. "At least we'll get something."
Gwen Carleton can be reached at (608) 245-0607, or send e-mail to gwen@nicar.org