There are obviously some perks that come with power and influence. In most of the democratic world, it also comes with some transparency requirements.
Barack Obama, apparently a Game of Thrones fan, was reportedly provided with an advance copy of the new season.
On learning about this, a New-York journalist, Vanessa Golembewski, a writer for the website Refinery29, filed a freedom of information request to get her hands on Mr. Obama's copy.
This might be the second most creative FOI request I've heard of since the London Band "The Get Out Clause" who could not afford a camera crew, performed in front of London's CCTV cameras, requested access to footage of their personal information, and put it together in a video.
While fans of the show might feel there are state secrets in the advance GoT copy, it is hard to imagine that the White House would have reason to object to access (query whether the White House is subject to access requests). However, if the access legislation works there like it does here, HBO would have grounds to object to disclosure in advance of scheduled showings on the basis that the episodes contain commercial information, supplied to Mr. Obama in confidence, the early disclosure of which would result in undue financial loss to HBO or result in such information no longer being supplied by HBO.
Whatever happens, it is an interesting reminder about the potential implications of freedom of information legislation. Surely Mr. Obama and HBO did not expect this.
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