Reclaim your right to know what governments are up to

The people have a right to know.

That was the idea in 1972 when a citizens’ Coalition for Open Government in Washington state successfully worked for the passage of Initiative 276, a portion of which became the Public Records Act (PRA). It passed overwhelmingly and resulted in laws requiring broad access to public records.

Some 50 years later, the people’s right to access government information is eroding at the state and local levels. Often with good intentions, sometimes with bad intentions, governments have moved toward closure and withholding information that legitimately should be public.

Since 1972, hundreds of exceptions have been made to the general rule that all government records must be open to the public. The number of accumulated exemptions will likely soon exceed 700.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-reclaim-your-right-to-know-what-governments-are-up-to/