Media groups across the country have designated this week as "Sunshine Week," dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of open access to government.That might sound like something newspaper editors would care about a lot more than average citizens. But holding government accountable is something that should be important to everyone.
In Iowa, Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to turn the Department of Economic Development into a quasi-public organization is a move that freedom of information advocates are watching closely. The details of the new department remain sketchy, and some lawmakers are concerned that actions formerly done in public would instead be cloaked in secrecy. Branstad has said the actions and spending of the public authority would be transparent, but the department also would include a private nonprofit organization that would pay for expenses such as marketing and travel. The nonprofit would be folded into the existing Iowa Innovation Council, an advisory group that could then establish a private venture capital fund. Both of those aspects would be private.
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