President Obama at a government transparency meeting at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday advised fellow world leaders to heed the criticisms of their citizens to avoid “groupthink” in government.
“All governments think they’re doing what’s right and don’t like criticism,” Obama said at the Open Government Partnership Event in New York City. “It’s shocking to say that all not criticism from civil society is always fair. But, as leaders, making our governments more open does mean that as a consequence of that criticism, there’s self-reflection. It means that questions were asked that might not have otherwise been answered, and that groupthink doesn’t develop inside a government.”
Obama, however, has also been accused of running an increasingly insular White House that too often dismisses outside ideas. Critics say that such thinking led to administrative blunders on the implementation of Obamacare and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Internal Revenue Service, among other agencies.
And detractors say that Obama remained detached from crises on the global stage, particularly because his allies maintained a no-drama attitude.
The president has also been on the defensive from watchdog groups that accuse his White House of not meeting a pledge to run the most transparent administration in history. The administration has prosecuted a record number of journalists and has been widely criticized for not opening up for more events to reporters.
For his part, Obama conceded Wednesday that his administration could do more to foster transparency.
“No country has all the answers. No country has perfect practices,” Obama said. “So we have to continue to find ways to learn from each other, to share best practices.”
