Editorial: Secrecy finally is coming to an end

Wednesday, March 22, 2000 | 9:48 a.m.

We applaud District Court Judge James Mahan's decision Tuesday ordering Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa to release documents that are believed to show her office conducted a secret probe of top state gaming regulators and high-profile Nevadans.

This newspaper and KLAS Channel 8 filed a lawsuit against the attorney general's office to get these records released. The Sun believes the public has a right to know whether Del Papa had conducted a secret probe that strayed well beyond any legitimate law enforcement activity. Del Papa's veracity in this matter wasn't helped at all when she acknowledged some intelligence had been gathered -- after denying initially a probe took place.

While the attorney general's office contended that the privacy rights of those named in the records would be jeopardized if they were released, this was spurious. Some of those investigated by her office want this information released so they can determine whether they were unfairly targeted.

When government withholds information the public has a right to know, it undermines the public's trust. While this fundamental concept has been lost on Del Papa, fortunately for Nevadans, Mahan understands the value of open government.

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