Assault on the public’s right to know

By Patrick Leahy

posted March 31, 2006

As we take stock during the second annual “Sunshine Week,” we confront the disturbing reality that the foundations of our open government are under direct assault from the first White House in modern times that is openly hostile to the public’s right to know.

The right to know is a cornerstone of our democracy. Without it, citizens are kept in the dark about key policy decisions that directly affect their lives. Without open government, citizens cannot make informed choices at the ballot box. Without access to public documents and a vibrant free press, officials can make decisions in the shadows, often in collusion with special interests, escaping accountability for their actions. And once eroded, these rights are hard to win back.

The right to know is nourished by openness and vigorous congressional oversight of federal agencies, but both are sorely lacking, and government effectiveness and accountability have been among the casualties. The disastrous failure to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina is only the most recent example, but a glaring one. Despite misleading assertions in the storm’s horrific aftermath, we now know that the White House was warned in advance that the levees could fail in a hurricane. We have belatedly seen videotapes where FEMA officials cautioned Pres. Bush of this great danger.

Click here for the full text of this story in our subscriber's area.