Blogs, Transparency and Governments

A friend of mine sent me an article today about how governments, especially local government can increase transparency and get their message across to the public more effectively than it being filtered through the old media. The article was written by Johnathan Davis in American City and County Magazine. [Emphasis mine]


Over the past 15 years, technologies such as e-mail, instant messages and Web sites have created new ways for people and organizations to communicate. Now, blogs are maturing into a communication method that local governments can no longer ignore.

Blogs, or Web logs, began as personal online journals. However, a growing population now is using blogs as information and news portals. Bloggers often are highly aware of local, regional and national news, and often focus on local government.

Some people have argued that blogs do not qualify as a legitimate media form and, therefore, bloggers should not enjoy the rights of traditional media organizations. However, municipalities should consider their state laws before making that argument. North Carolina, for example, has general statutes that explicitly define what qualifies as public information, and anything falling into that category is open for any individual — with or without press credentials — to examine. By cooperating with bloggers, local governments can find effective allies, educate residents and increase transparency within their organizations.

Besides acknowledging blogs in the community, local governments need to decide whether to host blogs of their own. Elected officials can use blogs to explain, in their own terms, why they voted a particular way on a controversial subject, rather than have their comments filtered through the mass media. Also, city leaders can use blogs to address the rising cost of fuel and the projected budget shortfall it will create, allowing readers to understand balancing municipal funds.

I would like to see my local school board become more transparent. Maybe it is time for one or more of the D46 Board members to start a blog. I would be happy to have any of them who wish to try it our first to post here if they wish. I will not control any of their content. They would be free to post whatever they wished to post. Board members, contact me if you are interested in giving it a whirl.

There are a couple of school board members in other districts who have websites. I have to track down their URL again. I will post them when I find them.

You can find other politicians who blog under the Politicans link at IllinoisBloggers.com.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • TwitThis

2 Responses to “Blogs, Transparency and Governments”

  1. Matt Johnston, on March 22nd, 2006 at 7:29 am Said:

    If you want an example of a good School Board Blog, check out Diane Weir’ssite at http://www.dianeweir.com/blog. She is a Massachussets local school board member.

    In the end, if you would like to see more school board blogs, start demaninding of your elected officials, after all they work for you, right.

  2. site admin, on March 22nd, 2006 at 7:33 am Said:

    Thanks for the link. I had forgotten about Diane’s blog.

    You would think they work for us, but they seem to get in office and believe they are only working for the District. The voters who put them in office are forgotten and seen as a distraction.

« »