Transparency in Government
by Ellen Priest
Transparency in government: it’s something we in the media fight on a daily basis. Filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests is an almost daily occurrence. Some agencies willingly share information and others keep an attitude that a request should be filed to release any information; this despite the law that states that the public has a right to know what is going on with our taxpayer dollars and in our government.
Any public body that is supported by public funds or expends public funds is covered by the FOIA. Any public records on paper, tapings, emails, or photographs in the possession of the public body are included.
The South Carolina Press Association is at the forefront of this battle. They have lawyers available to advise journalists in their quest for this knowledge and lobby on their behalf. This is information that should be available to the public under the law, but that many entities fight to keep out of the public’s hands.
The Aiken Standard has been fighting for two years to obtain a dashcam video of a police officer-involved shooting in Edgefield. Earnest Satterwhite was shot and killed by former North Augusta police officer Justin Craven after a high-speed chase. Craven claims that Satterwhite tried to grab his weapon. That may be true, but the public has no way of knowing whether it is or not because the department and SLED will not release the video. We have sued to obtain it, but the suit has yet to be heard, so at this time, more than two years after the shooting, the video remains hidden and unavailable.
The South Carolina Press Association, along with your local newspapers, will continue to fight for the public’s right to know, the public’s right to attend public meetings, and to know what is happening with their tax dollars. It is the right thing to do.
Ellen Priest is the President and Publisher of the Aiken Standard and North Augusta Star newspapers, and serves as the president of the South Carolina Press Association.