Kevin Fisher
No matter what you think of Fifth Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson’s spending habits with public funds (and I think any voter who would put up with it is as responsible as Johnson himself), the fact is you wouldn’t know anything about the profligate prosecutor if not for a certain PAPR.
No, not The State paper. Or The Post and Courier paper. Or even the Free Times paper.
None of those fine publications, or their fellow media outlets in local TV, news blogs, websites etc., knew how Johnson was living large off public money until that information was obtained and released by PAPR, a new and important South Carolina nonprofit organization.
PAPR stands for Public Access to Public Records, and it is off to an impressive start in providing exactly that with its explosive revelations about Johnson and the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s office.
Of course, PAPR shouldn’t be necessary, as the spending records of government entities should be open and available to the public. It is our money, and we should know how it is spent. All of it. All the time. Period.
Moreover, public access to that information is the law. It’s called FOIA, which stands for the Freedom of Information Act. Under that law, citizens are supposed to be able to obtain those government records.
But government entities do not always cooperate with FOIA. Indeed, sometimes they do everything they can not to cooperate.
Instead, they may seek to avoid the law, avoid disclosure, avoid responsibility and avoid the public’s right to know how its money is being spent (among other things).
Enter that new PAPR plopping down at their door, so to speak. And it is hitting with a loud thud.
Indeed, a quick visit to the PAPR website should make public officials and government entities realize that if they are going to make questionable (to put it mildly in Johnson’s case) expenditures of public funds, they may no longer be able to hide their actions.
Here’s how PAPR defines its mission:
“Public Access to Public Records (PAPR) launched in February dedicated to shining a light on South Carolina government by using the state Freedom of Information Act to obtain access to records created and maintained by public officials and agencies. All public records obtained by the nonprofit through the SC FOIA are posted to its website, papr.org.
“The nonprofit’s mission is to promote public access to public records … that enable citizens to fully exercise their right to know how the government works on their behalf.”
Adding weight to that mission statement are the people behind it, including Board President William Fox, a 32-year veteran of South Carolina journalism who previously served as managing editor of the Greenville News and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time South Carolina Journalist of the Year.
Fox told The State PAPR wants to focus on law enforcement and environmental issues, but will also take requests from anonymous whistleblowers about any government entity.
Also on the founding board are Charleston attorney Chris Bryant and former Free Times reporter Porter Barron, both of whom bring experience and commitment to the fight for government transparency and accountability.
Fox is straightforward in stating both the purpose and intent of PAPR, noting that officials often deny access to documents that should be public, delay responding to requests for records in hopes of running out the clock, or charge exorbitant fees to discourage information-seekers.
“We formed PAPR in response to what we saw as a critical need to bring additional resources to bear in the ongoing fight for release of public records in South Carolina,” Fox said in a release. “We’re prepared to take our fight to court in cases where the public is denied access it is due.”
And more power to them. Here’s to that important new PAPR.
Fisher is president of Fisher Communications, a Columbia advertising and public relations firm. He is active in local issues involving the arts, conservation, business and politics.
