Editorial: The freedom to get answers

Sunday, March 12, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

For 40 years the Freedom of Information Act has given the American public a window into its government.

The 1966 law that grants Americans the right to access government records and information has long been considered the frontline weapon of news reporters. But it is an important tool that all citizens can - and should - use to hold their government accountable. For this reason, the American Society of Newspaper Editors has designated Sunday through Saturday as Sunshine Week.

It is timely for Americans to reflect on what kind of information they aren't receiving from their government, especially the lack of public disclosures during the past five years. The list of information the Bush administration has sought to hide includes the names of those on a national energy policy task force, the locations of overseas prisons where the United States detains terrorist suspects and the e-mails and other documents pertaining to the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman for the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center, told Gannett News Service that freedom of speech "can't be informed speech if ordinary citizens can't gain access to public information." Keeping government's business public and in the open is the only way to hold officials accountable.

Without access to government documents, we might never have learned about the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, President Bush's eavesdropping policy or the scandals involving federal lawmakers and lobbyist Jack Abramoff. And there still is a lot we don't know - such as whether federal agents have requested our personal business records - because of provisions within the Patriot Act.

What we don't know can hurt us. Get to know your government at all levels. Ask questions. Demand documentation. The government's business is our business. Ignorance is not blissful nor does it make us more secure.