Journalists, Transparency, and Democratic Governance
Journalists, Transparency, and Democratic Governance is one of the Center’s newest research projects, launched in spring 2025. The study explores how open records laws, passed in the 1960s and 1970s to promote public oversight of government, function in practice today. Originally designed for journalists, these laws have become an increasingly popular tool for a wide range of users. Despite a surge in public records requests at both federal and state levels, news organizations now account for fewer than five percent of requesters. This shift raises questions about whether current transparency systems still serve their original democratic purpose.
Using the Washington State Department of Ecology as a case study, the project investigates who is using open records requests, for what purposes, and with what consequences for government accountability and public trust. Researchers are collecting and analyzing thousands of requests made to the agency during 2024. They are also interviewing public records officers, agency managers, and journalists to understand how these requests are processed and how bureaucratic systems and new technologies affect journalists’ ability to access timely and accurate information.
By tracing how open records systems operate in real life, this project seeks to reveal the gaps in government transparency. Its findings will help renew and strengthen open records laws so that they better support journalists, advocates, and civil society groups working in the public interest. Partnering with the Washington Coalition for Open Government, the research ultimately aims to advance more responsive and transparent institutions, revitalizing a cornerstone of democratic oversight in the digital age.