The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication has sparked a fascinating dust-up with a strong statement criticizing the Obama administration’s degree of transparency. AEJMC became the latest of a number of organizations that have questioned the administration’s commitment to openness in government.

In a news release on June 7, the group urged Obama to follow through on his promises to make openness a top priority following a Bush administration whose policies created a hostile climate for access advocates. In its release, AEJMC said: “Obama’s lack of presidential press conferences and his general lack of transparency and accessibility to journalists during his administration are in sharp contrast to the platform on which he ran for president in 2008. During that campaign, Obama pledged a new era of openness.”

The news release prompted some angry responses from AEJMC members who argued the organization’s leadership was overstepping its bounds. AEJMC President Carol J. Pardun reacted with a follow-up posting that further explains the group’s decision. You can read the full news release, with some of the comments, here, and the follow-up statement here.