FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

 The Free Flow of Information Act is a bill intended to provide a news reporter with the right to refuse to testify as to information or sources of information obtained during the newsgathering and distribution process.

 

The “Free Flow of Information” is a concept linked to the basic human right of freedom of speech and opinion. Every one has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinion without interference and to see, receive and impart information and ideas through any medium regardless of any frontiers.

 

Accurate knowledge about the true problem, about the complex aspects that affect the problem and potential solution, and about how humans tend to think, react, and behave is essential for developing practical, innovative solutions. It requires getting the requisite knowledge in applicable form to the best point in the design process. And many times, to reach this goal, we must break down some mental barriers that we have built inside our minds.

 

To get new information to the right people at the right time requires knowledge producers to break down many different barriers. The barriers to the flow of information are not just geographic. A gap can be found between universities and private companies, which tacitly means between scientific knowledge and product knowledge. Knowledge becomes significant only when it is expressed in practical terms, such as product development and other applications. However, information becomes knowledge and applicable only when built upon the ever-growing body of basic knowledge, which is discovered in the academic inquiry of the university.

 

To achieve such a complementary fusion of knowledge, those interested in the creation and application of knowledge need to find ways to scale the fences that might separate them. Such fences involve the languages (both cultural and terminological) of the fields of expertise, the different social rules and forms of expression between and within organizations, a lack of trust, and varying goals and interests, to name a few, which create barriers to effective communication and the quality use of knowledge. One possible means of bridging the gap between these distinct cultures is through open access scientific publishing. Open access journals make knowledge and discovery freely available for those who need it. Open access journals allow those who seek information to find those whose prior seeking has resulted in new perspectives, new data, new knowledge. For this reason alone open access journals are an essential part of communicating about scientific research findings and knowledge. And it seems that open access publishing is an especially natural way for university research to be distributed for the greater good.