Posted By: Lois Kazakoff | March 16 2011 at 05:47 PM
San Francisco Chronicle
Sunshine, they say, is the best disinfectant, especially for those musty corners of government that do the people's business in the dark. My colleagues in the National Conference of Editorial Writers and open government advocates have set aside this week, March 13-19, to promote the idea that a transparent government is a responsive government is an effective government.
A recent polling of the conference membership found a few clouds over your right to know:
In Utah, the Legislature passed a law that considers any government record private unless a citizen can prove that it should be open to the public. This include voice mails, IM, video chats and text messages.
Apparently the Utah legislators and governor have the idea of open government backwards.
In Wisconsin, the sheriff of Portage County banned the public and press from seeing jail records on the weekend, effectively allowing the sheriff's office to secretly arrest people.
In Oregon, the state Attorney General advised state officials not to talk with reporters about consultants' work at the Oregon State Hospital.
NCEW member Mark Mahoney of the Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y., won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorial writing and his blog, Your Right to Know. Mark is ever-vigilant and quick to praise when government lets the sun shine in. Sadly however, Sunshine Week 2011 isn't all sunshine. Citizens still hope to part the clouds.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/detail?entry_id=85191
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