It’s your right to know

This week, news organizations across the nation are celebrating Sunshine Week to highlight the Freedom of Information Act’s important role in protecting democracy and your right to know through public records and open meetings.

Started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, the name Sunshine Week is a play on a century-old quote from former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who said, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” 

That notion still rings true today, and is a founding principle of the work journalists do every day. The Hagadone Media Montana group of newspapers, including the Daily Inter Lake, frequently turn to public records requests to help shine a light on public proceedings. In the last year alone, this newspaper has filed public document requests regarding Flathead County, ImagineIF Libraries, Bigfork School District, the City of Kalispell, the Flathead National Forest and the Department of Interior.