The State Department is taking a new approach to terrorism – at least to reporting on it.

If the numbers don’t look good, stop releasing them.

Due out this week is the State Department’s annual report on international terrorism. Since 1985, the report has tracked the number of terrorist attacks and the patterns of global terrorism. Last year’s report, which detailed attacks in 2003, undercounted incidents and forced the State Department to release an embarrassing revision.

The agency decided this year it wasn’t worth it to release bad news: There were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than any year since the first report in 1985 – 625 “significant” attacks, according agency insiders. The number in 2003 was 175. Neither number includes attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

That sharp increase would suggest something most observers already know – there’s a lot of work remaining in the war on terrorism.

Despite signs of political progress in Iraq, the situation on the ground remains unstable and dangerous, with a spate of violence last week that included assassination attempts, car bombings, the death of a well-regarded human rights activist and the downing of a helicopter.

The responsibility for releasing the information about attacks has been transferred to the new National Counterterrorism Center. But there are no deadlines for release, and we’re afraid the official reporting of the numbers could simply disappear.

Denying the public information doesn’t change what’s happening in the world. While stifling the State Department report might avoid a few bad headlines for the president, it doesn’t alter reality.

Containing terrorism remains a struggle, the war in Iraq hasn’t made the process any easier and eliminating reports that show those difficulties doesn’t help. It’s better to level with the public. Anything else undermines trust.