Some of you may wonder why Whistleblower uses this blog to opine about public records and government secrecy. What does that have to do with investigating tips from regular folks who say they’re getting a raw deal?

Everything.

Over the past year, Whistleblower has sifted through hundreds of tips to keep this blog, startribune.com and the paper humming with your stories about injustices and screw-ups large and small. I’ve also sought out stories that hold government accountable: exploring how well it enforces the conduct of professionals, businesses and individuals, how our election system works, how government spends your money.

Finally, I’ve kept a close eye on public records disputes and policies. Because without them, I don’t know how I would do this job. Not only do they force government to reveal what it’s doing and thinking. They also enable reporters to ask better questions of their sources, and depositions, interrogatories and affidavits give a voice to people not willing or able to speak directly to us.

Records filed in Hennepin County Probate Court have formed the basis of my stories raising questions about the actions of a professional guardian and conservator in the case of Peggy Greer. Allegations within a lawsuit filed in Hennepin County court enabled me to tell the tale of a lawsuit targeting seniors in an Edina co-op. A state day care inspectors’ report was essential to a story about a teacher fired from a Minneapolis day care after she reported to the state that it was understaffed.

So it’s undoubtedly in my self-interest to advocate for public records. That’s not always the popular choice. Some people criticized startribune.com’s posting of the names of Minnesota victims of Bernard Madoff’s investments scams. Even a leader among survivors of the 35W bridge collapse found the listing of individual settlement amounts to be invasive.

If you doubt the power of public records, spend a few minutes reading some of the U.S. Justice Department memos on interrogation techniques released last week.

As I have done since the blog was launched in April 2008, Whistleblower intends to spend the coming year focused on investigating your tips. Bear with me for the occasional discussion of FOIA, Minnesota Data Practices and the like.

Stay tuned this week for the web debut and video of the story of Eileen and Scott Nelson. The story was published in the Sunday Star Tribune.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Public records. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.