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Maintaining public awareness of the importance of open government in a democratic society "The materials now bearing on the public mind will infallibly restore it to its republican soundness... if the knowledge of facts can only be disseminated among the people." - Thomas Jefferson, 1799     Given time, government inevitably finds ways to justify keeping information away from its people. Politicians point to threats of individual privacy to make operating in secret seem more attractive to the public that elects them. As journalists, therefore, we need to be just as diligent in reminding people why open government is important to them. But because we deal with these issues every day, we may come to take these values for granted. It's also easy for the public to forget why open records and meetings are important. Openness allows the people to hold their leaders accountable, from how they spend tax money to the decisions they make at the monthly school board meeting.   Closed records allow police to operate in secret. Locked courtroom doors allow justice to be determined outside the eye of public scrutiny. Each story we do that relies on open government should include at least one phrase to remind people why the information wouldn't be reaching them without Sunshine laws.    Following are excerpts some of our favorite opinions about the importance of open government (each quote is a link to the source): "The public and the press alike must recognize that delay and denial of access to government information is in fact censorship. It is censorship of the most insidious sort because it is censorship at the source." Paul McMasters, First Amendment Ombudsman, The Freedom Forum, and former Kansas newspaper editor "...Our political leaders love privacy. It's the new new thing. It plays perfectly into an uncertain public's fear of a technology-driven tomorrow. And, most importantly, it presents a scenario that must have savvy politicos thanking the stars: the public asks its government to keep what it knows about them under lock and key, where government — and only government — can know what is going on." Charles Davis, executive director of the Freedom of Information Center "Secrecy in government is fundamentally anti-democratic, perpetuating bureaucratic errors. Open debate and discussion of public issues are vital to our national health." Justice William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court (New York Times Co. v. U.S., 1971) "No government is perfect.  One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected."  President Harry S. Truman NATIONAL SPJ RESOURCES Open Doors: Accessing Government Records: What would our profession do without the ability to access information held by government agencies? What would we do without state and federal Freedom of Information laws? SPJ's Open Doors project is a comprehensive guide not only to the Freedom of Information Act, but also to freedom of information in general and how it applies to your work and even your life. FOI Toolkit: FOI Audits are a great way to monitor FOI compliance, build a group of journalists who have come up close and personal with FOI laws and demonstrate, once and for all, the weaknesses in state FOI laws. We've compiled everything you need to get started: training, do's and don'ts, document ideas for your requests and lots more. Project Sunshine: Project Sunshine is most important and visible to the people who need it the most: working reporters and editors. Project Sunshine focuses the attention of SPJ chapters and leaders on Freedom of Information problems, issues, needs and solutions at the local, chapter and state level. State sunshine chairs also are leaders in national access debates.  FOI Centers: See a state-by-state list of FOI Groups & academic centers. Presented by the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

MORE HELP JAMES MADISON PROJECT: updates on FOI issues REPORTERS COMMITTEE ON FREEDOM OF THE PRESS:  Legal updates and state-by-state laws FREEDOM FORUM: the state of the First Amendment. NATIONAL FOI CENTER: A valuable source, sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Journalism. THE THOMAS JEFFERSON CENTER: First Amendment watches, updates and the Jefferson Muzzles - annual awards censuring the censors (and yes, Kansans make the lists). FOI ADVOCATES: A project of the First Amendment lawyers at Bahr & Stotter Law Offices, P.C. in aiding the public CITIZEN ACCESS PROJECT: From the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communication. Its goal is to compare and rate various open records laws from state-to-state. Anti-SLAPP: Protect Free Speech Official Secrets Act bill FOI Groups Annual FOI Reports Links/Resources Message Board KANSAS SUNSHINE CHAIR Ron Sylvester Wichita Eagle 825 E. Douglas P.O. Box 820 Wichita, KS 67201 Work: 316/268-6514 Fax: 316/268-6627 E-mail NATIONAL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CHAIRS Joel Campbell, co-chair 360 BRMB Dept. of Communications Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602 Work:801/422-2125 Fax: 801/422-0160 E-mail David Cuillier, co-chair Assistant Professor Department of Journalism University of Arizona Marshall Building, Room 323 Tucson, AZ 85721-0158 Work: 520/626-9694 Fax: 520/621-7557 E-mail Robert Leger, co-chair Assistant Editorial Page Editor Scottsdale Republic 16277 Greenway-Hayden Loop Suite 200 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 E-mail