By Emily Silva
November 19, 2008
“The supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service,” wrote Walter Williams. The Missouri School of Journalism’s founder wrote what is known as The Journalist’s Creed, in which Williams dictates the responsibilities journalists have to their audience and to themselves. He calls journalists “trustees of the public” and claims that if they fall short of absolute service to the public, their job becomes obsolete.
Ultimately, journalism exists for the public: to alert people of news in their community (be it local, national or global) and to work openly for the benefit of our fellow citizens. When news or information is withheld from the public, and it involves the state, Williams calls that “indefensible.” North Carolina has established the North Carolina Public Records Law and the North Carolina Open Meetings Law to ensure journalists the right to obtain and communicate governmental information to the general public.
The Public Records Law defines public records as “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material.” Therefore, nearly any communication regarding the state is open information to the public. The Open Meetings Law says, “It is the public policy of North Carolina that the hearings, deliberations, and actions of [governmental] bodies be conducted openly,” enabling journalists to attend such meetings and communicate their contents to the public, without concern.
The North Carolina Open Government Coalition (NCOGC) began in 2004 to unite organizations that want to allow the public access to governmental “activity, records and meetings” without any repercussions from the government. Open government is necessary in a democracy because anything that is state-related involves the people. Therefore, those people deserve to be granted access to that information. “The intent [of the NCOGC] has been to unite people from many disciplines who are engaged in access issues and to move the discussion beyond the normal battles between journalists and government to the realm of citizenship.” Creating an open environment among the three main players (the government, journalists and citizens) is necessary in a democratic state.
Williams calls for “journalism of humanity,” encouraging us all to work together. North Carolina has made great strides by establishing the Public Records Law and the Open Meetings Law and allowing both journalists and the general public access to the goings-on of government. After all, if the government is protecting its citizens as it should, there should be nothing to hide, so access should always be granted to whomever requests to view it.
Twitter: Walter Williams developed the Journalist’s Creed to teach writers the proper ethics of journalism.
