A thought provoking Twitter thread from the Washington Coalition for Open Government focusing on the recent legislative committee debate of a bill aimed at exempting the recorded voices of children from public records.
https://twitter.com/washingtoncog/status/1358168485843505152?s=10
The debate "raised issues far larger than public records law."
It is particularly timely given the perfunctory four minute hearing HB 273 — creating a new exception to the Open Records Act for certain photos and videos — received last week.
https://www.facebook.com/kyopengovernment/posts/857779554768768
The Washington legislative committee debate can be accessed at the @TVW archive at bit.ly/3oKKjfE #waleg
The Kentucky House Judiciary Committee's four minute "debate" can be accessed here:
https://ket.org/share/legislature/archives/?nola=WGAOS+022049&stream=aH…
WCOG tweets:
"Some of the discussion about the merits of the bill pulled alongside and at times combined with a much older debate over press freedom that predates the United States.
"The grieving father who advocated for the Bill and WA state Rep. Jenny Graham of Spokane both raised the issue of what the state should do to prevent 'bad actors' in the press from misusing information â in this case, portions of 911 audiotapes now in the public record.
"The bill hopes to resolve this issue by making secret the government's audio recordings of juveniles, notably in 911 calls. It would solve the 'bad actor' problem by taking away access to the records not just for the bad actors, but for everyone â the public and press alike.
"In a way, it's a debate as old as the hills. How does the government prevent the press from 'abusing' its duty to inform the public, especially in a democratic republic like ours? Too often, the proposed cures only create more problems.
"For example, who decides, and how, what constitutes the 'abuse' of press freedoms? If the answer is 'authorities,' society runs the risk they will use that power to punish or silence their critics.
"Government attempts to keep 'bad actors' in the press from misbehaving can come with collateral damage to the press generally. The result is a restricted press with a diminished ability to inform the public. Our democratic republic needs informed citizens to function.
"But this isn't our idea. It's been around for years. James Madison, who drafted the Bill of Rights, wrote the following in 1800:"
