Griffin: NASA committed to scientific openness

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin has weighed in on the series of reports regarding the squelching or spinning of science findings to better match Bush Administration positions on issues such as global warming. Griffin did not do an interview or take questions from reporters on the issue. Instead, he issued a statement to employees. We've got a copy. Griffin's made several statements in the past regarding openness. Before Congress last year, he said anything that the agency does is public and ought to be able to withstand public scrutiny. In this note, he is promising some changes at Public Affairs. The problem is whether the people engaged in the information-control efforts now being exposed are political appointees, some picked by the White House rather than Griffin himself. So, do they work for him or not? Does this statement apply to them, or not?

Here's what Griffin wrote (the bold is my emphasis):

Statement on Scientific Openness
I want to make sure that NASA employees hear directly from me on how I view the issue of scientific openness and the role of public affairs within the agency. First, NASA has always been, is, and will continue to be committed to open scientific and technical inquiry and dialogue with the public. The basis for this principle is codified in the Space Act of 1958, which requires NASA to "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof."
Second, the job of the Office of Public Affairs, at every level in NASA, is to convey the work done at NASA to our stakeholders in an intelligible way.
It is not the job of public affairs officers to alter, filter or adjust engineering or scientific material produced by NASA's technical staff.
To ensure timely release of information, there must be cooperation and coordination between our scientific and engineering community and our public affairs officers.
Third, we have identified a number of areas in which clarification and improvements to the standard operating procedures of the Office of Public Affairs can and will be made. The revised policy, when complete, will be disseminated throughout the agency.
I want to encourage employees to discuss this issue and bring their concerns to management so we can work together to ensure that NASA's policies and procedures appropriately support our commitment to openness.
Mike Griffin
NASA Administrator