Mixed report on efforts to open the government

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group that opposes secrecy in government says the federal government significantly reduced its backlog of document requests from the public last year, but also slowed its pace of opening previously confidential material to public view.

A report Tuesday from OpenTheGovernment.org said the government's record is mixed, but suggested the Obama administration could be less secretive than its predecessor, the Bush administration.

"The record to date is mixed, but some indicators are trending in the right direction," the report from a coalition of 75 public interest groups said.

The biggest improvement was in the processing …