The County Press

Sunshine Week: It’s your right to know


 

 

Sunshine Week (March 10-16) was created by the American Society of News Editors in 2005, and is now coordinated in partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, but freedom of information isn’t just a press issue. It is a cornerstone of democracy, enlightening and empowering people to play an active role in their government at all levels. It helps keep public officials honest, makes government more efficient and provides a check against abuse of power.

Sunshine Week focuses attention on access to public information, open government and journalism’s role in promoting transparency. But what if there is no news outlet to shine the light? Over the past 15 years, newspaper closures and consolidations have left more than 1,400 cities across the U.S. without their main source of regular local news. What that loss means to the community and the ability to hold officials and government institutions accountable is the focus of this year’s Sunshine Week. Fortunately, that’s the not the case with this news organization. We’re growing, not contracting.

At the View Newspaper Group (publisher of The County Press and Lapeer Area VIEW) we have grown the number of newspapers we publish in the Thumb region and mid-Michigan. We take seriously the responsibility of our journalists and publications to keep government honest and shine light on the proceedings of officials so as to provide citizens who read our papers the information and knowledge they need to interact with local government — to keep them accountable.

In late February, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive aimed at improving the speed and reducing the cost which state government agencies respond to request for public records. Whitmer spoke at the annual convention of the Michigan Press Association (MPA) when she said state government “must be open, transparent and accountable to taxpayers.”

Slow responses and high costs charged for searching are two major concerns related to Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Another major concern is that both the governor’s office and the Michigan Legislature are not covered by the law. Whitmer’s executive directive doesn’t change that, but the governor said she would support legislation to extend the law to both her office and state lawmakers.

Jane Briggs-Bunting, the founding president and a board member of the Michigan Coalition for Open Government, penned a column for Sunshine Week. She wrote, “Cautious optimism is circulating among legislators, government transparency advocates and journalists this month as the Michigan House, for the third time in the past three sessions, votes on a series of bills called the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA).”

The LORA bills, said Briggs-Bunting, which would finally remove Michigan’s outlier status among the 50 states, would make the governor, lieutenant governor and legislators subject to the requirements of the state’s Freedom of Information laws (FOIA). That means Lapeer County citizens would have the legal right to request and receive public records from these offices, subject to a number of exemptions.

“Michigan law right now statutorily exempts the governor and lieutenant governor from compliance with FOIA. It is the only state to do that legislatively. The legislators got a pass in 1986 when then-Attorney General Frank Kelley issued an opinion, subsequently confirmed last year by then-Attorney General Bill Schuette, that FOIA didn’t apply to the legislative branch,” said Briggs-Bunting.

“Michigan currently leads the nation in being the least transparent in surveys by the Center for Public Integrity and other watchdog groups, earning an F grade.”

Gov. Whitmer acknowledged Michigan’s lack of transparency in her first State of the State address last month. “We have consistently ranked the worst in the country. We have the power to fix that: let’s expand FOIA to my office and to the legislature,” she urged the combined members of the House and Senate.

On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel conducted a workshop in Grand Haven, the first of many she promises in partnership with the MPA, designed to help local officials, community members and reporters navigate and understand the value of FOIA and Open Meetings Act and share best practices.

“This week is about opening up the doors of democracy to the public,” Nessel added. “It’s time to let the light shine in and keep our government accountable to the people.”