School of Library & Information Studies alumnus Christopher L. Hinson, Ph.D. had his research article, “Negative Information Action,” published in American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 53, No. 6, 826–847 (2010).
Hinson earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Information Studies from The Florida State University College of Communication & Information and his Master of Science Degree in Political Science from The Florida State University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. He received his Certified Public Manager professional designation from the Florida Center for Public Management at The Florida State University. He teaches political science and information policy, and conducts research related to public information policy, legal informatics, political information technologies, and state crime.
The article is available at the Sage Journals Online Website at http://abs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/53/6/826. From its abstract:
This article explores evidence of, and provides insight into, secrecy-related information actions that are sometimes used to circumvent established government policy and law. These information actions may also be used to cover up such circumventions after the fact. To better understand secrecy as a negative information action and its impact on democracy, secrecy-related information actions are described according to methods, information technologies, and knowledge support. Negative information actions are willful and deliberate acts designed to keep government information from those in government and the public entitled to it. Negative information actions subvert the rule of law and the constitutional checks and balances. Negative information actions used by government officials to violate policies and laws during the Iran-Contra Affair are identified, analyzed, and categorized by type. The relative impact of negative information actions on enlightened citizen understanding is demonstrated using a Negative Information Action Model by assigning a location according to type on a continuum of enlightened citizen understanding. Findings are compared with democratic theory and conspiracy doctrine.
