Not so long ago The World referred to the Oregon statute that allows media to sit in on executive sessions held by public officials as “screwy”, however, today the paper published an article that reveals the importance of media participation.
Oregon’s open-meetings law is unique in that it allows reporters to sit in on closed-door meetings of organizations, like Southern Coos Hospital, that are funded by taxpayer dollars.
When the hospital’s board notified the public it would meet behind closed doors, it said it would discuss a specific personnel issue. Instead, the board heard financial snapshots and discussed structural layoffs. State law allows reporters to share information from executive sessions that break the law.
The present Coos County Commission has established a habit of meeting in executive session before each and every board meeting, something unprecedented a few years ago. Let’s hope the media attend these sessions and report on them with the same clarity as was done in this recent article.
