LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Public service and transparency...

Transparency is a word that gets thrown a lot these days.  

From the perspective of a newspaper editor, it’s become something of a talking point with little substance from a lot of elected officials. We hear it from Congressional folks on both sides of the aisle, while at the same time those you and I have elected to serve us at city hall, in county courthouses, in Olympia and Washington D.C. simply do everything they can to control the message in a way that is the furthest thing from transparent.  

Whether it’s the topic-of-the-moment Epstein Files, questions about the “Big Beautiful Bill” or something as simple as a road project that went a smidge over budget, my staff and I often get a well-structured and spun narrative from various officials. That’s the job, though, and we look at public documents to get validation for anything that’s told to us.  

That’s if the officials we reach out to even bother to respond. Locally, we have several officials we reach out to, but don’t really expect a response from. We’re blessed at the state level to be able to get a response from local legislators who represent Grant and Adams counties in Olympia most of the time. On the federal level, it’s often like pulling teeth — slowly, and without pain meds.  

To be fair, being a federal official is an exhausting rat race of chaos, media requests from dozens of outlets, and call after call from constituents. It’s a challenge to stay in touch with people, even when they really want to.  

Still, one of the roles of an elected official is to communicate with their constituents as much as possible. Often, that’s through media outlets simply because that’s where officials can reach the most people.  

I understand some reluctance at this point, looking at my peers at the national level and the way they’ve behaved. Most of them are egregiously leaning right or left. As a journalist, that makes my guts churn. As someone who’s worked with a lot of elected officials, I understand why folks in Congress or the state legislature would feel more than a little bit of trepidation about returning calls. Even at the local level it can cause some worry when you see what's happened to a peer in Olympia or D.C. 

Regardless, though, those officials owe it to the people they represent to speak with the press. Especially the local press that doesn’t sling mud for one side or the other, but is just trying to keep their audience informed.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be reaching out to the offices of legislators, law enforcement officials, and others who have gone a bit mum over the last several months. I want them to know that I understand their concerns about the state of the media, and that I share them. I want them to know that I’ll work with them to ensure that we’re informing people, not stirring the pot.  

I would also encourage my readers to reach out to their elected officials and tell them to develop relationships with the local outlets like the Columbia Basin Herald and others who focus on the local impact of county, state and federal issues and how it impacts constituents in their homes. 

I don’t know that I want to continue using the word transparency. It’s been abused too much of late. Instead, I ask that my staff, my readers and our partners in elected offices simply be straightforward, honest and proactive in their communication. I think that’s what all of us want, and, frankly, deserve from our elected officials.  

In appreciation of amazing readers and community leaders with integrity, 

R. Hans “Rob” Miller
Managing Editor
Columbia Basin Herald
Basin Business Journal