Breeze of change
May 16th, 2007 by JamieB
We talk – and rightly so – about the sad state of open records in Pennsylvania. But I am beginning to hear from people in other states on this issue, and believe me, we are not alone. In fact, many others are even more discouraged than Pennsylvanians about the slow pace of change and the strong forces of resistance to open records reform – and they are taking heart from our efforts – those of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and this blog – to make the issue a people’s issue . . . and to push hard for change both in the halls of Harrisburg and in homes and offices across the state
We can be the leaders in a movement that takes firm root here and then spreads across the country. And why not? Pennsylvania has led revolutions in the past.
Perhaps it’s the Pollyanna in me, but do feel a breeze of change in lots of unexpected places.
At my daughter’s college graduation on Sunday, for example, one of the speakers talked of the “right to know” as the foundation of democracy. He worried aloud that it was in jeopardy all across the country. Admittedly, he was a journalist – Al Hunt, former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and current columnist for Bloomberg News. Still, that is a subject I had not heard before in a college commencement speech. Hunt talked with passion, and people paid attention.
So take heart, we will change things through these efforts.
Here’s something to think about: In the 1974 case of Kanzelmeyer v. Eger, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania (329 A. 2d 307) found that “one of the necessary disadvantages of public employment is the requirement of public accountability.”
I can’t imagine why it took a lawsuit to figure that out. It’s hard to conceive how anyone would think otherwise. So, 33 years later, it’s time to put teeth into that accountability by insisting that our legislators pass open records reform now.
Join the movement for right-to-know reform and join in the conversation on this site by sending us your stories and your thoughts.