It's your right to know what government does

Americans probably weren't too surprised by reports last week that the FBI has improperly obtained personal information about people in our country.

That's what the public assumed was happening, according to a recent poll commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE). The poll asked: "How likely do you think it is that the federal government has opened mail or monitored telephone conversations of people in the U.S. without first getting the permission from a federal judge?"

The responses:

Very Likely — 63 percent

Somewhat Likely — 18 percent

Somewhat Unlikely — 6 percent

Very Unlikely — 5 percent

Don't Know / Other — 8 percent

The poll results were released Wednesday, the day before news reports about a Justice Department audit of the FBI's actions under the USA Patriot Act. The Associated Press reported that the audit concluded the FBI had used the act improperly and, in some cases, illegally. By Friday the FBI director apologized and the U.S. Attorney General called for reforms.

Another poll question said, "President Bush has said the FBI and other federal officials need greater freedom when investigating suspected terrorists. Do you think federal investigators should get permission from a federal judge before opening mail or monitoring telephone calls, or should they be allowed to do so without permission?"

Sixty percent said "get permission," while 31 percent said "allow without permission" and 9 percent didn't know or had another response.

ASNE commissioned the national poll as part of National Sunshine Week, which starts today. Under the banner "Your Right to Know," the project's purpose is to increase public awareness though news coverage, commentaries and community activities concerning open government.

The survey of slightly more than 1,000 people indicated the public is increasingly concerned about secrecy at the federal level. Only 7 percent of the respondents said the federal government is very open and 18 percent said somewhat open. In contrast, 37 percent said very secretive and 32 percent said somewhat secretive, for a total of 69 percent on the secretive side of the scale.

State and local governments were seen as more open, according to the poll conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. Sixty percent said their local government is very or somewhat open and 53 said that for their state government.

The respondents were divided in answering questions about the role of the press in challenging government secrecy. Here are several questions and answers:

"In the past year, news organizations have reported about secret programs by the federal government. Please tell me if you approve or disapprove of the press for making these things public.

"So, do you approve or disapprove of the press disclosing that the National Security Agency has monitored international telephone calls without a judge's permission?"

Approve — 46 percent; Disapprove — 45 percent

"Do you approve or disapprove of the press filing a lawsuit to force the federal government to release the names of most of the enemy combatants held at the special prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?"

Approve — 38 percent; Disapprove — 51 percent

"Do you approve or disapprove of the press for disclosing that the CIA operated secret prisons in Eastern Europe?"

Approve — 41 percent; Disapprove — 48 percent

"Do you approve or disapprove of the press for disclosing that the CIA has apparently used severe interrogation methods such as electric shock or so-called "water boarding" in which a suspect fears he may drown?"

Approve — 43 percent; Disapprove — 48 percent

The divided opinions in these responses support the value of a national dialogue about government secrecy and the press. You can find more information about National Sunshine Week and other ASNE programs at www.ASNE.org.

Information about two Sunshine Week activities in Western Washington is included below. I also encourage you to check out www.washingtonCOG.org, the Web site of the Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG), an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization.

I recently joined the WCOG board and have been amazed how much is going on and at the hard work of this group. They are citizens, lawyers, public officials and journalists dedicated to this proposition:

"Open government, supervised by an informed and engaged citizenry, is the cornerstone of democracy."

Sunshine Week in Olympia, Tacoma

The Washington Coalition for Open Government is sponsoring a free town hall at 10 a.m. Monday in House Hearing Room B of the O'Brien Building in Olympia. The event opens with a national broadcast, "Closed Doors; Open Democracies?" from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The broadcast is followed by a panel moderated by Cindy Zehnder, president of public-affairs network TVW. Panelists are Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna; House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam; Bill Will, general manager of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association; and Stefan Sharkansky of SoundPolitics.org.

A free public forum on "Open Government and Open Public Records" will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the News Tribune, 1950 S. State St., Tacoma. It is sponsored by the News Tribune newspaper, the League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County and Sunshine Week. Moderated by Hunter George, Public Life Team Leader of the News Tribune, the panel includes McKenna and Michele Earl-Hubbard, partner of Davis Wright Tremaine and past president of WCOG.

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists