Sunshine Review is a group that, among other things, grades governments on transparency, comparing what's available on their websites to what should be provided. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from its latest report:
The state website earned an “A-,” accounting for half of Indiana's overall grade. Sunshine Review also analyzed the websites of the state's ten largest school districts and the five largest cities and five largest counties. The ten largest school districts earned a “D+.” The five largest city websites earned a “B-” and the five largest county websites scored a “C+” grade.
Fort Wayne Community Schools did a lot better than the 10 largest districts as a whole, earning a B (that was the highest grade of the 10, in fact). Fort Wayne city government also got a B, while Indy got an A-. South Bend also had a B, Evansville earned a C, and Gary got a C-. Allen County's website gets the prize in this area, an A-, the highest grade of any of Indiana's counties; lots of D's and F's on that list.
This is one way the Internet has added value to our lives. What's left unsaid in Sunshine Review's evaluation is what
a vast improvement there has been in government transparency in the digital age. When I was a young punk reporter, getting any information out of government was a difficult process -- intentionally so in many cases; governments fought hard to protect their secrets. Nowadays, openness has almost become the default position, and governments that don't share their stuff are hounded till they do.
Those who grew up reading "1984" believed technology would be a tool used by governments for oppression. It turns out to have been a liberating force for the populace. Social media make it harder for tyrants to keep their illegitimate power, and easier for free citizens to deal with their legitimate leaders.
