The power of public knowledge: Why sunshine and transparency in Ohio government are critical

(Photo courtesy of SunshineWeek.org.)

In 1822, James Madison wrote to his friend W. T. Barry about efforts in Kentucky to set up a system of public education. Madison, known in his lifetime as the “Father of the Constitution,” said the liberal appropriations for public education approved by the Kentucky legislature could not be too much applauded:

“A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

While Madison was talking about public education, his words perfectly encapsulate the role and responsibility of journalists as the Fourth Estate in our American Republic: To arm the people with the power of knowledge.

A well-informed and knowledgeable public is the only way the Republic survives the never-ending threats of corruption, exploitation, misrepresentation, plutocracy, and the demagoguery of political circus clowns and opportunists peddling propaganda to confuse, disorient, and mislead the public into at least a disgusted and ambivalent apathy, if not all the way into ignorant zealotry.

At the Ohio Capital Journal, we are committed to reporting for the people: To arming the people with the power of knowledge; to drawing the lines between what state government does and does not do, and how it affects the lives of Ohioans; to holding those in the halls of power accountable, and lifting up the voices of those outside power to share their stories and struggles.

We do so with the highest ethical standards in line with the Society of Professional Journalists and disclosure of our funding. Just like traditional newspapers maintain separation between advertisement sales and their news operation, as a nonprofit news outlet we keep a strict firewall between our funding and our journalism.

Transparency is key to public trust both in journalism and in government. This week is Sunshine Week, which serves as an opportunity to reflect on the critical importance of sunshine and transparency in Ohio and American government, and as yet another reminder that it is not the government, it’s our government .

Sunshine Week runs from March 10 until March 16, Madison’s birthday, “Freedom of Information Day.”

The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966 and gives the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency .

Ohio Revised Code also establishes open public records and open public meetings laws.

Is is through these public records laws that the Ohio Capital Journal has been able to do important reporting to arm the people of Ohio with the power of knowledge about what’s happening behind the scenes in our state government:

• Ohio lawmakers and religious lobbyists coordinate on anti-trans legislation

• A behind-the-scenes look at how Ohio enacted the most restrictive voter photo ID law in America

• The hidden role of a religious lobbying group in Ohio’s education ‘backpack bill’

While reporters use public records requests as a journalism tool, that tool is not limited to journalists.

Every year, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office releases an updated open government resource manual, known as the “YellowBook.”

Every Ohio citizen can avail themselves of the opportunity to make public records requests as well.

Attacks on access to public records

As we reported in November, efforts are mounting across the United States to make more information secret by altering public records laws .

In 2023, gerrymandered Ohio lawmakers worked to shield the state’s opioid crisis settlement foundation from public scrutiny after a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled it was subject to open records law .

They didn’t stop there. As the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, lawmakers were considering or had approved “measures (that) put new limits on the public’s right to know about crimes, evidence gathered by police, court proceedings, investigations of public officials, the work of the coroner’s office and spending by a nonprofit that controls half the state’s $2 billion opioid settlement.”

In January of last year, lawmakers also made it harder for journalists to report on police shootings. As WKYC reported , “The changes, contained in Senate Bill 288 and signed into law this month by Gov. Mike DeWine, strip away an exemption in Ohio’s public records laws that allows journalists to view preliminary autopsy reports and investigative notes.”

In January of this year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a partisan 4-3 split decision against the Enquirer when the paper sought public records related to expenses around Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s family trip to the Super Bowl in 2022.

These are grave problems for transparency in Ohio government and accountability to the people.

Public records often reveal the inner workings of government decisions and put sunshine on government spending of taxpayer money. Travel and calendar records might show who politicians are spending time with who could be influencing their decisions. Emails and text messages between lobbyists and lawmakers might reveal private motivations behind policy changes, or hypocrisy, or corruption.

Seeing early drafts of legislation gives the public the opportunity to track how laws are shaped by politicians and lobbyists as they move through the process, and police records such as autopsy reports and body camera footage can provide direct evidence that might contradict official narratives.

In Ohio, we’ve seen one public corruption scandal after another .

This Sunshine Week, we must recognize the critical importance of making sure Ohio has a government that is open, transparent, and accountable to the public it is meant to serve.

The post The power of public knowledge: Why sunshine and transparency in Ohio government are critical appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal .