I spent a little time in the state capitol this week, working with colleagues from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation to visit with lawmakers about the importance of transparent government.
It’s too early to say for sure (because you can’t ever say anything for sure about legislation for sure until lawmakers leave the Capitol for the year) but it looks like we were able to prevent added secrecy for two types of records: traffic accident reports and investments of local government pension funds.
That’s an important victory any time, but especially now, as today begins the annual observance of Sunshine Week, an initiative to promote dialogue about open government and freedom of information.
The program is supported by news media, libraries, civic groups, nonprofits and others interested in the public’s right to know.
At The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the transparency we celebrate this week is essential to investigative and watchdog reporting. That reporting ranges from ferreting out government waste to exposing unethical officials. Readers have told us they rely on that work.
The role of the press as government watchdog dates to even before our first days as a nation and was institutionalized by the founding fathers of our country. They wrote the First Amendment specifically to protect freedom of the press tocover and criticize government officials and actions. Thomas Jefferson once said a democracy cannot be both ignorant and free. He and other drafters of the Bill of Rights believed a vigorous and unfettered press was essential to informing citizens and preserving their rights.
That ideal drives the AJC even today and requires we keep vigilance to ensure transparency.
The records we fight to keep open belong to the public, of course. Taxpayers pay to create them. And they give taxpayers insight into how effective their government is.
Consider all the ways you benefit from government transparency beyond investigative reporting.
If you have a child or grandchild in daycare, you are able to know when health or safety issues crop up with that center.
If your county decides to lure a major league baseball team to your environs, the law requires that meetings about it be held in public, so you can learn the thinking of local officials. Public records allow you access to traffic studies, spending plans and every vote the County Commission makes during the process. (Of course, we know from reporting in Atlanta Magazine and the AJC that officials in Cobb County maneuvered to skirt the law in their deliberations about the Braves move.)
If you are buying a new home, you might want to know how much crime is in the neighborhood you are eying. You have access to that data, as well as the performance of schools in that area. If the city gets a request to re-zone property near your new home to allow more commercial development, through public meetings and access to public records, you have the ability to influence that decision.
At The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we work to protect that access for you. Every session of the General Assembly, we monitor legislation as it is introduced and ensure lawmakers understand the effects of the laws they propose that diminish government transparency. Typically news organizations stay away from trying to directly influence legislation, but most make exceptions for access laws. They’re too important, and we believe no one else really has the resources to watch out for the public on those issues.
Not every bill that would close more records is ill-intentioned; sometimes lawmakers inadvertently propose creating more secrecy in an effort to accomplish something they believe is worthwhile.
That was the case this week in the bill affecting traffic accident records. Rep. Ronnie Mabra (D-Fayetteville) was seeking to restrict and punish so-called “ambulance chasers” who use unfortunate events like auto crashes to drum up business. His bill inadvertently would have limited news organizations’ ability to report on public safety and government effectiveness in such situations. We were able to work together on language that would accomplish his goal without harming access needed to inform the public.
The AJC participates in this work with the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and often partners with the Georgia Press Association, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and others.
You may never have thought of it this way, but the money you pay for your subscription or your Sunday newspaper helps pay for our efforts to keep government records open.
So on this day known as Sunshine Sunday, pat yourself on the back for being a supporter of the First Amendment. We appreciate that support, and we’re honored to serve as your advocate in this important fight.
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