Celebrating the public’s right to know

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March 13, 2010

Anonymous Pharos-Tribune Sat Mar 13, 2010, 10:30 PM EST

Welcome to Sunshine Week, a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The observance began as National Freedom of Information Day, originally held on March 16, the birth date of James Madison, the man generally regarded as the father of the U.S. Constitution and author of the First Amendment.

In simple terms, freedom of information is the right to know what your government is doing — how it spends your tax dollars, how it creates and implements policy, how it makes decisions that affect you.

Let’s say, for example, that you want a copy of the Logansport city budget. You have the right to walk into the City Building and ask for it. And the city has to give it to you, or it has to explain why it can’t.

If you request a public record in person, the governmental entity has 24 hours to respond to your request. If you make the request by mail, it has seven days.

In considering your request, the government office can’t ask why you want the information. It can’t even ask who you are.

If all you want to do is examine the document, you have the right to do that right there in the office. If you want a copy, the office does have the option of charging you a reasonable fee.

Still, getting access to public information isn’t always easy. The battles sometimes rage on for years.

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety in 2008 and 2009 finally gave the Tulsa World information it had sought in 2001 related to the department’s treatment of minorities during traffic stops. Last month, the long battle came to an end when the department agreed to shell out $60,000 to cover about two-thirds of the newspaper’s legal fees.

And the fight never really ends.

Just weeks after an overhaul of Illinois freedom of information laws took effect, state lawmakers last month were already considering more than a half dozen proposals aimed at making public records harder to get.

But the fight isn’t about liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats. Freedom of information advocates come from the right and the left and everywhere in between.

And they keep fighting the good fight year in and year out because they truly believe in a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

We salute their efforts.

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Editorials

A positive step for public schools
Indiana is one of 10 states granted waivers last week from provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind law. The waiver appears to be a step forward for schools across the state.

February 11, 2012
An outstanding community effort
United Way of Cass County announced this week that it had raised more than $600,000 in its most recent campaign. The campaign’s success is a testament to the generosity of local residents and to the great work of the United Way and its member agencies.

February 9, 2012
Another step forward for local trails
Local officials broke ground this week on the planned Eel River Run from downtown to Riverside Park. The project will expand a trail system of which the community can be proud.

February 8, 2012
White should not return to office
The conviction of Indiana’s secretary of state on charges of voter fraud has left Republicans and Democrats fighting over who will hold the office. No matter how the fight comes out, Charlie White’s ouster from office should be permanent.

February 7, 2012
A grand success for Indianapolis
The just-ended Super Bowl was the result of decades of preparation. Indianapolis left a great impression on the thousands of visitors who descended on the city.

February 6, 2012
Should schools teach creationism?
The Indiana General Assembly is considering a measure that would allow public schools to teach creationism as long as they include instruction on other reliigious theories. Broadening the instruction to include other religions might address constitutional concerns, but the result might be a class the law’s supporters didn’t envision.

February 4, 2012
Giving every child a chance
Students from Columbia Middle School delivered a message of inclusion in a play last weekend. The message is one that can’t be repeated too often.

February 2, 2012
Testing lawmakers a good idea
A measure requiring drug testing for welfare recipients would also require drug testing for legislators. If lawmakers are going to impose such a requirement on welfare recipients, they should be willing to stand up to the same measure.

February 1, 2012
Peru delivers important message
The city of Peru collected $20,000 last year from property owners who failed to keep their yards mowed. An aggressive enforcement effort can help the city’s finances, but the benefits go beyond dollars and cents.

January 31, 2012
Jail GED program a great step
The issue
The Cass County Sheriff’s Department has begun offering GED
classes for its prisoners.

Our view
The department, and society at large, will see a huge return on that
investment.

January 30, 2012
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Celebrating the public’s right to know

Indiana was among 10 states granted a waiver last week from requirements of the No Child Left Behind law. Do you believe that was a good move?

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