Maryland’s patchwork of neighborhoods, towns and municipalities creates a diverse and wonderful landscape. From the smallest towns to the largest counties, there is a place for everyone. What is our biggest strength can also be our greatest challenge. With so many different local governments in play — 181 in all — each with its own set of customs and policies, citizens can easily become confused when trying to access information about their communities.

The MDDC Press Association asked our members to audit local government websites and examine the type of information readily available. Collectively, we found an uneven quality of accessible government information. It falls to the news media to help make sense of this disjointed information.

Often, the local newspaper (in print or online) serves as a unifying force, distilling and disseminating information to the public. We celebrate this tradition and seek to bring light to the topics and government actions that affect our communities with objective reporting. Maryland’s citizens have the right to know how government transacts business on their behalf. Sunshine Week, celebrated annually this week, focuses attention on shining the bright light of transparency into those dark corners of government.

The timing of Sunshine Week, which falls in the midst of the 90-day General Assembly session, is well placed to highlight the opportunity for the state to make continued improvements. Founded in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, Sunshine Week promotes open government and public access to information.

On the state level, Maryland legislators are considering bills (HB 880/SB 450,) that would strengthen the open meetings law by requiring that at least one member of a public body take Open Meetings Act training and providing additional reporting requirements to highlight violations of the act by public bodies. Legislators are also considering Gov. Larry Hogan’s proposal to live-stream House and Senate floor sessions (HB 438/SB 253) and consistent funding for Maryland Public Television (SB 1034). These actions would grant the public easier access to government proceedings.

These are incremental changes that will help improve the culture of government openness. There is still a long way to go, however. The enforcement mechanisms for Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act violations are woefully inadequate, and many public bodies seek to keep their actions in the shadows.

Citizens also want access to information about how government is spending their money. Too often this session, we have seen a push to eliminate notices of bids and procurement from independent local newspapers and news websites in favor of posting on a government-owned website alone. As the MDDC study shows, publication and prominence is highly unreliable if government alone is the only source.

In the current environment of “fake news,” partisan wrangling and sweeping change, Marylanders should know that their local newspapers remain committed to the disinfecting power of sunlight and the bracing vigor of objective news reporting.

Rebecca Snyder

The writer is executive director of the Maryland, Delaware, DC Press Association; her email is rsnyder@mddcpress.com.