The public has a right to know

Sunshine Week is being observed this week across our nation and the emphasis will be to encourage access to government information urging public and private officials to “put more Sunshine in government.”

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include the news media, civic groups, schools and individuals who are concerned about the public’s right to know.

The free flow of information is critical to a democracy and to the public’s understanding of how government works and their right to know about their actions. Both the press and public should demand open government from the national level on down to the city level.

In the past, some public officials across the nation have promoted Sunshine Week by issuing open government proclamations and have made policy changes that have improved the public’s access to government information.

Newspapers published in small communities shoulder most of the responsibility to protect the First Amendment to our U.S. Constitution. The public has the right to know what their governments are doing and unfortunately, some local governments sometimes try to hide information that is of vital interest to the public.

Community newspapers must be mirrors of their communities and must reflect what happens in their communities. It is our job to see that local government news is reported to our readers in an accurate, honest and comprehensive way.

There are issues that would remain hidden if we didn’t go out looking for them and reporting them. It means not always taking elected officials at their word. It means going back for a second look and talking with more than one person. It means preserving the public’s right to know and asking the tough questions.

We must be mirrors of our community and we must provide it with light whether it upsets a public official, a citizen or an advertiser. It is our job, our responsibility and we must do it with completeness and with compassion.

Being a good community newspaper means showing a presence. It means being a leader, being involved in the community and staying in touch. A strong editorial page that takes positions for issues that are good for the community and against issues that are bad for the community is vital. Strong newspapers help to build strong communities.

A community is stronger with the interchange of ideas. If the newspaper does not provide the leadership in that area, it will be left to street talk and backyard gossip. Putting it out there for everyone to read and react to is important.

Newspapers published in small communities should address issues of public concern on its editorial pages on the state and national level, as well as the local level. We should not leave issues solely to the daily newspapers. Those of us who live in small communities are citizens of our state and a nation also; therefore, our opinions should be written on these issues, as well as local issues.

Finally, we must serve our communities with a passion for the truth, placing accuracy and unbiased reporting in news stories high on our priority list and always remembering that the public has a right to know what their governments are doing.

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