A proposed state-funded news website dreamed up by the administration of Gov. Mike Pence was scuttled after it was met with bipartisan derision on social media and talk radio.
The episode is an important reminder of the role of a free press in society—as a watchdog and check on government power. This won’t be the last attempt by elected officials to create their own narrative, making an end run around independent journalists. Such tactics have become increasingly common, and effective, as news organizations across the country scale back the number of reporters watching over government.
Critics of the proposed news service, Just IN, should now redirect their energy in support of three bills in the Legislature that would encourage government agencies to operate in the open—a critical ingredient for a factual, fair and independent press.
One proposal would eliminate a loophole that allows members of a public agency governing body to “meet” via email, skirting public-meetings laws. Another would make it a felony offense for a government employee to intentionally violate procedures governing the destruction of public records. A third bill calls for agencies that publish records online to use open formats and include catalogs of all available data.
Veteran journalist and Indiana University professor Gerry Lanosga, who highlighted the bills in a recent post on IndianaForefront.com, also warned about a pending bill that would set strict limits on public access to footage from body cameras worn by police officers.
The state’s Access to Public Records Act starts from the simple premise that the people have a right to “complete information regarding the affairs of government.” But in practice, government officials often err on the side of secrecy, seeking first to find a reason to deny access.
Communications people representing elected officials can be particularly reticent when they fear public records might cast their boss in a negative light. That’s one reason Pence’s plan for a state-run news agency—overseen by his own communications team—drew so much ire from so many journalists.
The governor instead should deploy those investments to beef up the offerings of the Indiana Public Access Counselor’s office—which advocates on behalf of citizens and journalists seeking public records or access to public meetings.
Meanwhile, journalists should update their public-records request templates and redouble efforts to uncover stories that don’t originate from press releases.
And for outraged non-journalists: Demand that the news organizations you rely upon invest in journalism that holds government officials accountable.
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