Journalists are big fans of transparency.
We like the windows of information open and the lights of access turned on. If government is doing something, we think the people should be able to know about who is paying for it, who proposed it, who benefits from it, and who voted for it and why.
But we also understand why some things are not freely available.
For example, we don’t expect the state’s credit card information to be available. That’s not only acceptable to keep confidential, but it’s also the responsible thing to do for the taxpayers. We might expect information on city employee contracts or hiring, but we wouldn’t expect private data to be posted on a website.
And perhaps most poignant, while we — and most Pennsylvanians — have concerns about the safety of kids at school, we understand when certain specifics are not given.
That brings us to the investigation into the arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence.
Pennsylvania State Police brought in a former commissioner, retired Col. Jeffrey Miller, to investigate the April 13 incident in which authorities say Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, gained access to the grounds, threw gasoline-filled beer bottles and started a blaze. Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated safely. Balmer told authorities if he had encountered Shapiro, he would have beaten him with a sledgehammer.
Miller said the results of his review have been given to the state police and Shapiro but will not be made public because of the sensitive nature.
House minority leader state Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, believes the public has a right to know.
“I do think what happened and why it happened — the failures of the system — we do need some accountability for that,” Topper said last week. “And transparency is the best way to provide that.”
Although Topper said he understood security concerns for some of the information to be confidential, “what happened and how it happened, I think, is a question that needs to be answered,” he said.
Just as there was with the shooting at the Butler Farm Show grounds in July where now-President Donald Trump was injured, there is truth to this. Some information has been disclosed but more should be to ensure accountability for those charged with protecting the governor.
However, unlike the Trump shooting, it has to be remembered that the governor’s residence is still the governor’s residence. Shapiro and future governors must be safe, and that will understandably mean some information remains protected.
What this does afford is an opportunity for the two parties and the executive and legislative branches to agree that Pennsylvanians deserve transparency as much as individuals deserve protection. That kind of agreement could lead us to things like gift bans and more support for school security.
