THE ARTS

Open the Doors: The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington in an effort to force the National Endowment for the Arts to allow public access to subcommittee meetings where arts grant applications are discussed. The newspapers said they seek to attend the meetings as part of their coverage of the “intense public debate over whether the NEA can and should restrict the award of grants because of the potentially offensive content of the performance or exhibit.” The NEA rejected the Post’s request to attend the meetings in an April 16 letter, saying it believed the meetings were not required to be open, and the working groups “engage in no deliberations, but are for informational purposes only.” The three newspapers want a court order before next Thursday’s subcommittee meetings.