From the Asheville Citizen-Times (3/19/09): The annual observance of Sunshine Week has rolled around again, and its importance is greater than ever.
The original Sunshine Week was spearheaded by journalists in Florida back in 2002 to buck moves by state legislators to enact an appalling array of exemptions to that state’s public records law, many of them using the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and security arguments as cover. Since then it has spread nationwide and is no longer a purely journalistic endeavor.
That’s well and good, because the topic — government openness — is something of interest to all citizens, not just a single profession. Everyone has a part to play; more to the point, everyone has a vested interest in seeing that their government is serving the public and being careful with our liberties — not to mention our tax dollars.
This isn’t a conservative issue, or a liberal issue or a libertarian issue. It’s everybody’s issue.
Do some records need to be closed for security reasons? Of course. That has applied throughout this nation’s history and has not changed. Unfortunately, human nature hasn’t either. The fact is a lot of people want to hide things that are embarrassing to them. And others recognize an opportunity to line their own pockets or conduct other mischief when there’s no accountability.
On the national scene we’ve witnessed a modest walkback, or at least a pause, in the rush to classify that led to instances such as the re-classifying things like an intelligence analysis from the 1950s (one that said the Chinese weren’t likely to intervene in Korea, by the way).
NC’s report card
On the state level, the recent 2009 Sunshine Week Survey showed North Carolina is doing pretty well on openness.
Using the criteria of access to 20 types of lists and databases ranging from environmental violations to bridge inspections and disciplinary action against attorneys, North Carolina ranked behind only Texas and New Jersey in availability of free information for citizens.
All told, North Carolina hits 17 of the 20 marks, compared to Mississippi, which provides only four.
One of the three missing data elements, free access to death certificates, are generally not offered by other states.
But where North Carolina stands out and falls short, it really falls short: There isn’t a searchable database of state expenditures and no online list of Tar Heel officials’ financial interests. More than half the states offer the former, and nearly half offer disclosure statements.
Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, said, “Economic interest statements are posted online by Civitas, the conservative nonprofit, (so) there is no reason why the State Ethics Commission can’t scan them on to their Web site.”
Dale Harrison, assistant director of the N.C. Open Government Coalition’s Sunshine Center at Elon University, said while the report offers “good news, it is also clear there is a good ways to go here. And that the kinds of records that are not easily available are records that really should be.”
We agree with Apodaca and Harrison. We’ve got a good start on government openness.
But a lot more sunshine is needed.
Citizen-Times Staff Editorial