Your right to know; our responsibility to illuminate for you

Illuminate — to make clear; to bring to the fore; to enlighten spiritually or intellectually.

Every day, media work to illuminate what is happening in our communities, our state, our nation and our world. Journalists dig through the muck of bureaucracy, chase the shadows of corruption and bring otherwise hidden information to light for public inspection.

Today begins Sunshine Week, which celebrates your right to know — your right to illumination.

The basic premise of Sunshine Week is that the American people have a right to a transparent government. The right to know every policy proposed, every taxpayer dollar spent, every deal struck by government officials.

The U.S. prides itself on a government of the people, by the people, for the people, in the words of Abraham Lincoln.

We are the people. You are the people.

It is your government, and you have the right to know what it is doing and to speak up — in agreement or disagreement. You have a right to be heard.

Sunshine Week is also about the right to freedom of information — your right to be informed about what is happening in your community, your state, your country, your world.

And because it is your right to know, it is our responsibility to be your eyes and ears.
That’s why The Dominion Post sends its reporters out every day, armed with notepads and pens, cameras and recorders, to gather all the information you need.

That’s why our reporters attend city council, county commission and board of education meetings. So you can know what your local government is doing and how its decisions will affect you.

That’s why our reporters cover lawmakers at the state and national levels. So you can know what your elected officials are doing in the name of their constituents (aka, you).

That’s why our reporters stay on top of police reports. So you can know what crimes are taking place in your communities and how law enforcement and the judicial system handle those situations.

That’s why our reporters monitor health and weather emergencies. So you can be prepared for whatever may come your way.

That’s why our reporters closely follow far-reaching national stories. So you can know what’s happening in the world around you.

But your right to know is also why our reporters cover community events, like Girl Scout cookie drives and Empty Bowls luncheons. Like concerts and football games. Like pet adoption opportunities and local landmarks.

Because while it’s your right to know about all the hard news — as dim and gritty as it can be — it’s also your right to know about all the good things, too. The rays of sunshine in the dark.

You have a right to know. It’s our responsibility to illuminate for you.