You have tools to use to hold government accountable

Our reporters regularly access government data to keep our readers informed about how government actions are impacting them and the community.

 

Freedom of Information laws protect our ability to access information. They protect your access too.

 

Within the past year, we reported on the City of Charleston’s plans and costs to create pedestrian improvements at Seven Farms Drive and Pier View Street, updates on the Beresford Creek Bridge, salaries for county and city employees, the Berkeley County School Board’s action regarding removing books from schools, and other school board actions. To be able to do these stories and many others, we need access to government information.

 

This week, news and features reporter Emma Slaven accessed the Berkeley County Comprehensive Plan and interviewed government officials to provide information about ongoing county growth and development plans (see story beginning on page 14). She also accessed bid documents and pushed city officials for an update on the Nowell Creek pedestrian bridge (see story on page 2).

 

Also this week, Associate Publisher Patrick Villegas accessed government data concerning traffic accidents and fatalities along Clements Ferry Road (see story on page 16).

 

Crime reporter Elizabeth Horton tracks down the City of Charleston police reports that detail crime in our readership area and regularly updates the community with a bi-monthly police blotter. You are entitled to those reports too.

 

Every week, I research the City of Charleston meeting agendas and information packets to advise the community about commercial and housing projects moving for approval. Scouring these agendas also leads to deeper research and more in-depth stories, such as the community-led opposition to removing trees from the lot between Starbucks and the I-526 on ramp to Mt. Pleasant, and to our regular news stories presented in the series What’s Left to Build.

 

And, after interviewing residents at Daniel Island Village apartments this week concerning the euthanized alligator that neighbors named Walter, our reporters will be delving into materials we access from the Department of Natural Resources concerning licensing and removal of alligators.

 

The alligator story and DNR procedures, as well as other stories, are often brought to our attention after readers access government information on their own.

 

In the United States, there are laws that protect your right to know what your government officials are doing. Collectively they are known as Sunshine Laws. The federal government and many states, including South Carolina, have Freedom of Information Acts that guarantee your right to access information.

 

FOIA is not mysterious or available only to media outlets or lawyers. You and every citizen can request and are entitled to receive information by making requests under FOIA.

 

This week, this newspaper and newspapers throughout the state and country are celebrating Sunshine Week. We celebrate this week by working to inform citizens about their rights to information. When the government operates in secrecy, the citizens often foot large tax bills, and surprise decisions can negatively impact citizens’ lives.

 

If you want to know information about what your government is doing, you can use FOIA to get your answers.

 

Here’s how to do it:

 

The first step is simply to go to the governmental body and to ask for the information you want. If that doesn’t work, the next step is to ask in writing and to include the words “Freedom of Information” request. You can make your request by email, fax, or letter. Be specific about what you want.

 

You are entitled to an answer within 10 to 20 days, depending on what you request, and they have up to 30 days to produce the materials you want. The government body may charge you reasonable fees for photocopying and other expenses, but oftentimes, they will provide it at no charge. There are also some exceptions to what information is accessible.

 

The South Carolina Press Association, of which this paper is a member, created a guide to educate citizens about FOIA, how to use it to gather information about your government, what to expect, and what might be excluded.

 

You can access the guide here: scpress.org/foia-citizens-guide.

 

You may also contact me via phone at 843-856-1999 or email sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com if you’d like more information or have questions about how you can use the Sunshine Laws to hold your government accountable.

 

You may read the full text of South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act here: scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c004.php.