Minding the public's business

Editor's Notes

When the Tracy Press celebrated its centennial as a newspaper, a group of us from the newsroom paraded six blocks down 10th Street carrying a large sign that read, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.”

We were as idealistic as fresh journalism grads in our declaration. We could recite by memory the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Jefferson’s message was not that freedom of information is for the press alone. After all, he’s the one who also said, “As for what is not true, you will always find abundance in the newspapers.”

He encouraged a free marketplace of ideas as a cornerstone of democracy. The fact is, the First Amendment is a right vested with every citizen.

So we carry the banner for the public’s right to know. We make demands for access to meetings or information, such as e-mails or memos, citing the state Public Records Act. We consult lawyers when we are asked to give up reporter notebooks, unpublished photos and confidential sources.

Recently we protested when a staff photographer and crime beat reporter were subpoenaed to testify about what they saw while covering a fight at the mall last fall.

And this week, we’re reminded of why all that is important, as newspapers nationwide celebrate something the American Society of Newspaper Editors has dubbed “Sunshine Week.” It’s an effort to raise public awareness of the growth of government secrecy.

We’re lucky to live in a state that offers more protection to journalists than the federal government does. California is one of 31 states with a shield law, which prevents government from demanding information from newspapers and allows journalists to remain independent of government. That protection doesn’t exist for a New York Times reporter and Time magazine writer who face prison time for refusing to disclose confidential sources in a federal grand jury investigation.

We’re lucky, too, that legislators continue to propose “sunshine laws” that will strengthen open government. Just last month, a bill was introduced in both Houses of Congress known as “Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act.”

Whatever the reason, it seems that more and more barriers are being raised for people who want information to which they are entitled. You may have examples of your own — we know we do here at the Press.
So that brings me back to this week.

I’ve decided to actively participate in the national celebration of “sunshine laws” by writing this column. I’m often asked about the inner workings of a newspaper, and I think the best way to do my job is to be open as possible about the “how” and “why” behind the journalism — no less than what I expect from government. In the months to come, I plan to write about the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, which opens public documents to public inspection. I’ll inevitably write about our own police blotter, and why we list felony arrests in Tracy. And I’ll introduce some of the other folks who make news and photo decisions at the Tracy Press.

I may even dust off that centennial sign.