EDITORIAL: Democracy Protect broadcast of citizen voices
Jan. 11—Minnesota has long prided itself on its open, accessible government and its engaged citizens. But recent efforts by city councils to quiet the voices and limit the reach of the people who participate in public discourse goes against those pillars of democracy.
A government watchdog group recently called on the Legislature to prohibit city councils or other local governments from excluding public comments from broadcasts of their meetings. This kind of hidden censorship has the effect of creating a narrative that no one criticizes the actions of government and creates an unwelcome atmosphere for those who make the effort to participate in their local governments.
The Roseville school board and Hennepin County Board recently removed the public comment period from their broadcasts, arguing the comments could be rude, racist or contain misinformation. The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI), a nonprofit group that pushes for open government and open records, urged the Legislature to prohibit the practice, saying it's an unnecessary quashing of speech and erodes trust in democracy.
Citizens speaking at MNCOGI's recent press conference admit they can sometimes be a nuisance, verbose or wrong, but so can government officials, said Hennepin County resident Mary Pattock. Roseville resident Kofi Montzka told the Star Tribune: "We need more speech, not less."
North Mankato and Mankato allow public comments to be part of their broadcasts.
We urge all governments to include the comments of citizens in broadcasts of public meetings. The current Minnesota open meetings law allows governments discretion on what to include in their broadcasts. Yes, there may be rude and hateful statements and misinformation. But the challenge to citizens in a democracy is to fight for the truth and base policies on the facts.
Limiting information to people in a democracy leads to less accountable government. We have to believe in a history where the free market place of ideas will win out and the best disinfectant to tyranny is sunlight.
