D&C mistakes public interest for its own

This editorial in today's D&C sums up pretty well the smug self-righteousness of our local paper and the larger mainstream media. The basic message is that they don't want to have to jump through any hoops when they want information from Monroe County. They site specific examples of a hazardous materials response report and the committee that's looking into the porn policies of the central library. What they're trying to say is that transparency in government is more or less an end unto itself. This is, of course, patently untrue. It is not necessarily in the public interest for all government information to be made public (I happen to think a library porn task force may be a good example). It is, however, in the interest of the D&C. It makes their job easier to have unfettered access to government information. As a former reporter, I can sympathize somewhat with this desire for transparency, but I also don't blame the county for taking a less than accommodating approach to information requests from a seriously left-leaning paper with a gotcha journalism mentality. However, what really bothers me about the editorial is its condescending tone. It reads like a lecture to the county about their responsibility to the public good. Given its track record, the D&C is in no position to give such a lecture.