By Andrew WestNewspapers across the nation have been leading the charge of “Sunshine Week.”
It is an annual initiative to promote access to public information. As the headline in our advertisement this week says, “Government works best when it operates in the sunshine.”
We want to stress that this is not just a concern to news outlets.
It is your right to know.
Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act — also known as the sunshine law — states the following in its declaration of policy:
“It is vital in a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner so that our citizens shall have the opportunity to observe the performance of public officials and to monitor the decisions that are made by such officials in formulating and executing public policy; and further, it is vital that citizens have easy access to public records in order that the society remain free and democratic.”
Note that the law uses the word “citizens.”
We — members of the press — consider ourselves citizens, too.
All of us share in the pursuit of information that allows us to better understand issues and make our own intelligent decisions.
This week, newspapers are thinking about how we protect access to information. And we are recognizing work that has opened the possibility of new access.
Today’s commentary on “Anton’s Law” — provided by the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association — sheds light on a groundbreaking new law requiring disclosure of police misconduct records in Maryland.
A longer version of the MDDC Press commentary is available today at BaytoBayNews.com. It is an example of new public access to information.
You will want to also read Delaware State News reporter Craig Anderson’s story on where such efforts stand in Delaware.
The Delaware State News is a member of the press association. The organization works on behalf of newspapers — and you, members of the public — to keep information from falling into shade or darkness.
An example is Senate Bill 155, advanced by a committee last year.
Some readers have alerted us to concerns about the bill to alter the Freedom of Information Act. One portion would give a state agency the ability to shoot down any request deemed “unreasonable, disruptive, or abusive.”
The bill says, “This Act allows a public body to deny a request from a requestor whose intent is to disrupt the essential functions of the public body or abuse the process and allows a public body to charge administrative fees for all reviews, including the review and redaction of information exempt from FOIA.”
SB 155 has not been placed on the Senate agenda. We have learned that it likely will not be put up for a vote during this legislative session
We welcome letters on these topics and always appreciate hearing about the sunshine law experiences of the public.
In closing, we reaffirm our pledge to let the sunshine in. A daily reminder is the sun rising behind the state capital cupola in our logo
Andrew West is executive editor of the Delaware State News.
