Secrecy spreads as Washington’s landmark transparency law is shredded

The people have a right to know. That was the idea in 1972 when a citizens’ Coalition for Open Government in Washington state successfully worked for the passage of Initiative 276, a portion of which became the Public Records Act (PRA). It passed overwhelmingly and resulted in laws requiring broad access to public records. Some 50 years later, the people’s right to access government information is eroding at the state and local levels. Often with good intentions, sometimes with bad int