There are many places to find information these days.
Most government entities have websites and social media pages, places where they can deliver information the public needs to know. My web browser’s toolbar is chock-full of them, from courts and law enforcement to weather and wrecks to name just a few.
As a journalist, one of my main tasks is finding primary sources for all my new articles. A primary source is the person or place that provides “first-hand” information. These include things like government documents, memoirs, personal correspondence, oral histories, or my personal favorite — newspapers.
This week is Sunshine Week in Missouri, where newspapers across the state are putting a special emphasis on the Sunshine Law, which dictates the availability of information and is meant to encourage government transparency.
I use the Sunshine Law frequently, sometimes probably for granted, but by no means is it perfect.
For example, last year, www.courts.mo.gov/cnet (CaseNet) saw a major overhaul that both increased and decreased the flow of information about court proceedings.
I’m on CaseNet once or twice a week as my primary source for crime stories. Before the overhaul, I had to use the public access computer at the Barry County Judicial Center to look up and print off probable cause (PC) statements, the government document I can use to report first-hand accounts of alleged criminal activity.
Now, those files are uploaded to CaseNet and readily available from my office chair. For me, it’s nice to have such easy access, but for the general public, it was a step forward in the Sunshine Law that allowed much, much greater access than one computer in a closet-sized room in the courthouse.
For the first time, anyone can access any PC at home — a big win for the cause of transparency.
However, like the Desert Rose Band says, it’s somewhat a case of “one step forward and two steps back.” With the new access came a greater allowance for redactions.
Names of victims, individuals and businesses are reduced to “victim 1” or “a business within Barry County.” Birthdates of suspects are also excluded, making it difficult to determine age and provide a clear identification.
In some counties — thankfully not ours — whole sections of the statement are removed for no apparent reason beyond redaction overreach.
The ease of access to information is absolutely appreciated, but in some cases, the information deemed allowable for release leaves as many or more questions than answers. Simultaneously, my job got easier, yet harder.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s wreck reports also took a step toward secrecy, as no names are provided online, though the Sunshine Law seems to suggest they should be. Fatal wrecks, even after next of kin are notified, only show age and gender, which leaves everyone asking the obvious question — who?
It’s also impossible to be 100% sure when correlating an arrest report, which does provide a name, with a wreck report. Getting details like that wrong in my business is a cardinal sin, not to mention could open us up to legal action.
Locally, our various government agencies do an excellent job providing information when asked, probably 95% of the time.
Yet, when it comes to specific Sunshine requests directly from our local government agencies, I have had little success. In those situations, when plain asking doesn’t do and I have to submit an official Sunshine request, there’s always an undertone of friction.
As George Orwell said, “Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”
When first-hand sources are tough to come by, that’s when I have to dig in a little deeper. That’s also where you can come in.
This Sunshine Week, I hope you understand not only what the Sunshine Law means to me, but what it means to you. The law makes information available to all residents — not just journalists — and some of the most successful Sunshine Law stories have started with citizens who have the time sourcing the information and working with newspapers to disseminate it.
Ultimately, the Sunshine Law denotes one thing — government works for us — and access to information allowing everyone to understand the full picture of any situation is imperative to a healthy democracy.
Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers in 2017, and he is a two-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847 2610 or ktroutman@cassville- democrat.com.
