It’s been said that “knowledge is power”. When the people of a democratic country know exactly what their government is doing it keeps the power in the hands of the citizens. If the general public has no idea what their elected officials are doing, it allows corruption and scandal to occur.
During his campaign in 2008, President Barack Obama proudly proclaimed that his administration would be the most transparent ever. He made the promise because he knew that the people voting for him wanted their government to be open and honest. After he won the election, he never fulfilled his promise and he ended up denying more FOIA requests than any other President before him.
Achieving a truly open government is difficult, but the more transparency you can achieve, the better. Here are some articles that discuss open government and its importance in more detail:
Public records archives and libraries
Government records in the digital age
Public records and privacy issues