Marisa Porto, Daily Press; Public deserves open access
"American writer Walter Lippman once wrote, "The best servants of the people, like the best valets, must whisper unpleasant truths in the master's ear."
His quote describes perfectly the mission of a newspaper and its staff.
That mission remains at the heart of why Americans should be concerned about the state of the Freedom of Information Act around this nation.
This year alone, journalists from my news organization have filed dozens of FOIA requests. The topics they asked about ranged from bus accidents to crime statistics to how millions of dollars of taxpayer money was spent on a private business venture at our local airport. The last request sparked a statewide investigation, prompted a change in state law and has caused the firing of the airport director and the resignation of one top city official — so far...
Playwright Arthur Miller once said, "A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself."
Let's keep the conversation going."
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