Public officials and agencies in our state compare well with those in most other states in terms of compliance with our Freedom of Information Act, according to a national study. West Virginia was ranked 10th best among the 50 states.
That should mean little or nothing to Mountain State residents, however. The bottom line is that public officials and agencies here received a grade of only 66 percent in complying with public and press requests for information.
West Virginia has strict, no-nonsense rules for officials and agencies who are asked to provide documents and reports covered under the FOI Act. That may be why we scored well in comparison to most other states.
But a two-thirds success rate in obtaining public documents simply isn't good enough. It means that too many public officials don't take the FOI Act seriously, either because they don't bother to understand it or because they don't want to.
That is unacceptable.
We recognize that many West Virginians consider freedom of information an issue primarily between the press and public officials. Most confrontations on the issue involve reporters who are told they can't have documents or reports they want.
But the issue is a very real one of the public's right to know. We in the press function as representatives of our readers and the larger community. We don't ask for documents and reports - and we don't demand access to meetings of government officials - simply to be difficult. We do so because we have an obligation to keep the public informed on how government operates. We do so because our readers deserve to have the information.
When we are told, "You can't have that report" or "You can't attend this meeting," it is, in effect, a slap in the face to you, the public.
We don't think most West Virginians like that kind of arrogance. They shouldn't - and they shouldn't put up with it.