Those of us in the news and commentary biz hope that you know we just observed Sunshine Week, wherein we celebrate the virtues of open government and talk about the access — and sadly, sometimes the lack thereof — that we Americans enjoy to the dealings of our government leaders.

Now, there are government officials who would like to conduct their business in private, as if election or appointment to office somehow made them members of a "ruling" class. They'd like to pat you on the head and tell you to go away and that they'll take care of business while you don't worry yourselves about it.

And when reporters come a knockin', they like to claim that those reporters are just out to stir up trouble and that all their complaints about not getting into this meeting or not getting a copy of that document are selfish. They just want a story, you know. Has nothing to do with you good folks out there who have just had your heads freshly patted.

That's a lie — always has been, always will be. Sure, the news business is a private, for-profit venture. But it is one recognized by some fellows you may have heard of — Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, et al. — who thought that freedom of the press, freedom of information, were things worth protecting with acknowledgment in the U.S. Constitution.

Because that reporter trying to attend that public meeting or get ahold of that public document represents us all. He or she is in your shoes, and you might as well be in his or her shoes when the gavel pounds and the public's business is commenced, whether it's in a school board meeting, the General Assembly or the Congress. Or, for that matter, a meeting in the governor's office.

And friends, along with the certainty that free access to information is a right and a doggone cornerstone of our democracy, there's another thing you can take to the bank: Public officials who want to conduct business secretly are either arrogant in their authority or up to something. Not that they run short of excuses. Among the favorites:

n If we're going to protect the public's interest, we have to be able to speak confidentially in business negotiations. (Code for: We're doing it for your own good.) That's a bunch of hoo-ha. Negotiations of the sort used as an excuse for secrecy always leak like a sieve, anyway, which means rumors get started, which in turn means all sorts of erroneous information gets spread around. Secrecy begets rumor, which begets confusion, which begets doubt about the ultimate decision of the public body involved.

n If our talks were open to the public, many people would not understand the finer points of the discussion. (Code for: The people are too stupid to get it.) This one is so insulting that it really ought to entitle all of you to a free cream pie toss at the public official of your choice.

n The problem is that we're trying to hire a university chancellor here, and if the names got out, those who didn't get the job might be embarrassed. Awwwww... they'd be embarrassed? First, the names get out anyway. Second, bless their hearts, but tough.

n We'd get you those records, but it's a lot of trouble and there are a number of people we have to check with and it's just inconvenient right now. Uh, huh. Gee, let's hope the entire citizenry doesn't decide that it's inconvenient to pay the taxes that pay your salary. (Actually, we just got a little worked up here. Problems with records ought to be fixed before they occur by the people up top in the bureaucracy.)

If you think the problems with public access to information are one of those "hardly ever" occurrences, you're wrong. The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer's Matthew Eisley reported Wednesday on some of them — from officials denying minutes of meetings and e-mails, or requiring a request for records in writing, which isn't in the law.

There's a case where officials aren't even using their usual excuses they use when they're dealing with reporters. Jan Richmond, a former high school psychologist seeking public records from a school board, isn't doing some expose. She's simply requested information to which she is entitled. But as of this writing, no dice, by intention or lack of interest, and it doesn't matter which. That's wrong and that's always bad — for all of us.

Jim Jenkins is deputy editorial page editor of the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer.