Take opportunity to learn to watchdog government

Government transparency.

Almost to a person, everyone agrees we need more and better government transparency. People often say they don't know what their government is doing, and further, they don't trust their government. Many feel they are shutout from their government and how it operates. And when they ask their elected leaders, they don't get an answer. 

From our experience, there are some Idaho legislators who almost always respond when we ask for comment on certain issues. There are some who never respond, which is interesting as you would think they want to connect with those they represent and highlight what they are doing.

There is work to be done to encourage and improve public participation in government.

That's why we encourage you to attend a free workshop on the Idaho Public Records Act, what it requires and how to comply. The 9 a.m. Jan. 16 session at the state Capitol is part of a series of four workshops on government transparency, all free and all streamed live statewide at idahoptv.org/insession. 

The lead presenters for this session will be Andy Snook, general counsel for Gov. Brad Little, and IDOG President Betsy Russell; assisted by Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and State Controller Brandon Woolf.

The first two sessions covered campaign finance and lobbying, and how to access public data.

The fourth and final session, set for Jan. 27, will focus on the Idaho Open Meeting Law.

These sessions are intended for citizens, members of the news media, local and state public officials and their staffs who are interested in the public’s rights under Idaho law for access to public records and meetings, the rules, and how to access the information. 

We know it this sounds like dull stuff, but it is worth your time to learn how your government operates, how you can become involved and act as a government watchdog, which, by the way, is one of our duties at The Press. So yes, we will tune in Jan. 16.

It goes without saying that an informed citizenry is invaluable. The more we know about our government, our elected leaders, the more we can hold them accountable. Only then we will have the government transparency we desire.