The City of Rio Rancho would like to respond to two recent editorials written by the media and representatives of the media related to transparency.
Transparency is essential in both good government and responsible journalism. The recent editorials from the media-funded NM Foundation of Open Government (FOG) and the ACLU, as well as the Rio Rancho Observer, present concerns, but fail to provide full context. Ironically, while calling for more transparency, these editorials obscure a larger picture of what transparency truly requires and omitted relevant information.
For years, both FOG and Observer have expressed frustration with the City’s approach to sharing information and news coverage, and the frustration is mutual. The City has made continued efforts to correct inaccuracies, provide clarifications, and comply with public records law, but these efforts are often misinterpreted or ignored in favor of framing the City as uncooperative.
The interview request for a special program cited by FOG, from nearly two years ago, failed to mention that an interview had been conducted, and an alternative interview option was proposed yet rejected when a second interview request was made. Further, the questions posed were speculative and/or could be easily answered through basic journalistic research. It’s not the City’s responsibility to do reporters’ research. This was not a transparency issue; it was about journalistic diligence…