For the past week, news organizations around the country have paid special attention to reporting about open government and Freedom of Access laws. It was a coordinated attempt by journalists as part of Sunshine Week to draw attention to unnecessary and burdensome restrictions used to hide what should be public information deep within the shadows of government.

Government secrecy was not invented on Sept. 11, 2001, but that terrible day sparked renewed efforts to cordon off large swaths of previously public information. Once started, the temptation to restrict access to information has proven difficult for government to resist. Abuses go far beyond information that might put national security at risk.

It makes sense in a post-Sept. 11 world that the government would take greater precaution in releasing information. But things have gotten out of hand. The federal government created 14 million new classified documents in 2003. That’s up 60 percent since 2001. More and more stuff is being placed beyond scrutiny, which places a real strain on democratic institutions.

While the government has moved to curtail FOA, the public has shown itself committed to the ideals of access. In a survey commissioned for Sunshine Week, 70 percent of Americans said they were concerned about government secrecy, and more than half of respondents said there was too little access to government documents. And in a sign that people understand what is at stake, 68 percent agreed with the statement that access to government records is crucial to the functioning of good government.

At the same time that the federal government has been sliding backward, Maine has made progress. News organizations have conducted a statewide FOA audit to judge compliance among various public agencies and municipalities, and legislation has been passed to strengthen FOA training and to make it harder to pass new restrictions.

But the struggle is ongoing. In recent years, the governor’s office, Auburn and several other local governments have run afoul of the law by illegitimately closing public meetings or by attempting to keep public documents secret.

The tone was set by former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who directed the Justice Department to look for every possible reason to withhold information. Government officials from Capitol Hill to Augusta to downtown have been following that lead.

Knowledge is power, and Freedom of Access laws ensure that the power to fight government graft, corruption and waste remains where it belongs – with the people.