“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.” – Bruce Coville

 Tackling the topic of the people’s right to information, as well as the persistent attempts by powers large and small to undermine that right, is a tall order in itself – add in constraints on language and space and you have an undertaking that may well be impossible.

However, such seemingly fruitless efforts are the nutrients that keep every writer alive and well, even in this day and age.

Putting aside national threats to the free exchange of information, the Alabama legislature has taken strides toward assuring the people of the state that it has little appetite for expanding the public’s ability to access information.

This week, a legislative committee failed to take action on a bill that would have provided clarity to Alabama’s Open Records Law, by putting in place deadlines for information to be submitted to those who request it and putting caps on how much agencies can charge for those documents, and it is unlikely that it will again see the legislative light of day this year.

While this alone is enough to make the professional journalist or inquisitive citizen quake with fury, it is the local assaults that truly make an impact and indeed deprive the very people from whom power is derived from accessing information on how that power is being utilized.

The Selma City Council passed a resolution from Councilwoman Miah Jackson Tuesday that would require local governmental departments to hand over requested documents to council members on the same day the request was received – if extenuating circumstances arise, the information can be turned over by noon the following day.

Why are such rules not in place for common citizens, the people whose tax dollars pay for the ink and paper used to create these documents and pay the salaries of the people tasked with drafting said documents?

For years, the council has paid lip service to the citizens and local press by promising to pass a resolution that would make accessing public information simpler and more affordable, but nothing has come of that promise.

There is little we can do about the crisis of opacity that maintains a stranglehold on our national and state governments, but there are substantive steps that our local leaders can take to ensure that leadership is held accountable and the people have at their disposal the facts to undertake that effort.

The council should pass a resolution that abolishes the city’s information request form and the ridiculous compact it requires requestors to sign on to and establish a policy where any written request can be accepted; that sets a deadline of five business days for information to be handed over to any party requesting it; that sets a price cap of no more than the cost of printing on the duplication of requested documents; that allows for citizens to digitally acquire documents and information at no charge.

Our council members have an opportunity to stand strong where our national and state lawmakers have proven weak time and again and to prove that this city believes in the people’s right to information and the people’s social responsibility to hold their local leaders to account.

Let us hope that they can make that move quicker than we can access information.