National Sunshine Week highlights media’s important role in protecting open government

This March 13-19 marks “Sunshine Week,” a national initiative to educate the public about the need for transparency in government.

In today’s hyper-connected world, it is easy to take for granted the level of access we have into government proceedings here in Washington state. Our public records act is one of the strongest laws in the country, as are our public disclosure laws governing lobbying, campaign and election contributions.

But sometimes, it takes a crisis — like a global pandemic — to sharpen our awareness of it all.

For the past two years, all of state government has largely been closed off to the public due to COVID19. When the virus first took hold, reporters, government workers, the public — even lawmakers themselves — were unable to access formal proceedings in person. The only unfiltered lens on state government was TVW, a non-partisan TV and streaming network dedicated to coverage of all three branches of government. TVW is accessible in a variety of ways: streaming online, on TV, and on Roku.

Twenty-seven years ago, the idea of broadcasting Supreme Court hearings, legislative floor action and committee hearings was controversial. Although it was pioneered at the federal level with C-SPAN in 1979, creating this sort of access at the state level was relatively unheard of. Still, lawmakers provided the initial funding in 1993 and two years later, TVW went live. For the first time, people did not have to travel to Olympia to observe the Supreme Court or view debates in the House or Senate, creating a new level of government transparency.

Fast forward to present day, and those same TVW cameras found a renewed purpose as a democratic lifeline during the pandemic. This “digital sunshine” quickly became the go-to means of observing and interacting with the state during a time of crisis. From the governor’s daily press conferences to health briefings from the Department of Health, and the 2021 and 2022 remote legislative sessions, the public has been able to view official proceedings even when the doors to government were closed, without filter, bias, or commentary.

This matters because research suggests our level of trust in public institutions — the media and government — continues to spiral downward. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Index, one in two respondents said they view government (48%) and media (46%) as divisive forces in society. Even more concerning: Less than half of respondents said they trust government leaders (42%) and journalists (46%). Some 64% of Trust Index respondents said it’s now to a point where people are incapable of having constructive and civil debates about issues they disagree on.

Open government and transparency play a vital role in reversing those figures and re-establishing that trust. This “sunshine” takes many forms in addition to what TVW offers. Continued access to public records and public meetings also ensure the people can observe government actions and draw their own conclusions.

And, while Washington state is a leader in ensuring the sun continues to shine on government, that’s not to say more can’t be done.

At TVW, we’re providing the next generation of voters and elected leaders with the tools to be informed and engaged in their government. Our “Teach with TVW” civics classes are created with the assistance of social studies teachers and give students a chance to track real legislation, debate the merits of the bill and follow its progress. In many ways, fostering youth engagement is one of the best ways of perpetuating sunshine and transparency in government for years to come.

As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once observed, sunlight, may be the best disinfectant of government. But education ensures that light continues to shine.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 8:18 AM.