Editorial: Unintended consequences
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
By Staff
When a government agency restricts access to information previously in the public domain without anybody noticing, you might conclude that somebody has something to hide — and that watchdog institutions like the press are falling down on the job. Or, it might be something less nefarious. Fortunately, the latter appears to be the case in a change in public access to information on state pensions in North Carolina. The change came to light when the Star-News of Wilmington sought the answer to a routine question: How much would state Rep. Thomas E. Wright (D-Wilmington) collect in pension benefits if he were convicted on charges of fraud and obstruction and removed from office this year? That's information taxpayers have a right to know, and it should be a routine matter to obtain it. But to the surprise of the Star-News and some legislators, the newspaper couldn't get the answer from its usual source — the State Treasurer's Office. A little-noticed change in state law last year now prohibits the treasurer from releasing that information. Initially, the Star-News and other newspapers interpreted this as meaning that the pension information was no longer public record — which would be a serious setback in the perennial battle for greater disclosure and more openness in all levels of government. (more…)
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