The people's right to know

Part of our mission as a paper is to constantly monitor how public agencies release information that the public has a right to know. That's why joining a landmark statewide audit of law enforcement agencies was so important. Most of the local, county and state agencies, we contacted did miserably. We asked for simple documents, such as police reports and statements of economic interests. Now our reporters were instructed not to represent themselves as reporters. A tactic rarely used in journalism but was the only way for us to see how the public would be treated. No one lied. If they had no other choice, they had to answer who they were. Of course, agencies have no right to ask your name or ask for identification or why you want the information. You want it because you're the taxpayer and they work for you. That is enough. Hopefully, the audit will prompt some agencies to do things differently. I hope in the future to do similar audits of other agencies.