Study says 90 percent of voters want to know candidates' positions on open government

According to a survey conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University, almost 90 percent of Americans "say it's important to know presidential and congressional candidates' positions on open government, and three out of four view the federal government as secretive," reports The Associated Press. The 74 percent of those surveyed who said the federal government was secretive was a jump from the 62 percent who said that in 2006. Commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors as part of Sunshine Week, the survey interviewed 1,012 adults. Other findings:

• 50 percent said state government is secretive.
• 40 percent said local government is secretive, up from 34 percent in 2007.
• 82 percent want to know lawmakers' daily schedules.
• 71 percent want to have access to police reports about specific crimes in their neighborhoods.
• 66 percent want to know who has a permit for a concealed handgun.

The lesson here is that readers want to know about open government issues, and that the issue is not just a provincial one for journalists -- who should be sure to ask candidates for their opinions on such matters, even in local races. (Read more)