Citizens of South Dakota: Remain calm.

As Gov. Mike Rounds and some legislators tell it, your privacy is at grave risk because of Senate Bill 189.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The governor and some legislators are trying to scare the public into thinking that Senate Bill 189 will undo current privacy laws in South Dakota. It's one of their unfounded arguments meant to kill the bill.

SB189, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Turbak Berry of Watertown, is good legislation for South Dakota. The bill gives us a modernized, comprehensive open records law that reflects the scope and dynamics of government in South Dakota. It creates an open government foundation that would serve all citizens of South Dakota well into the future.

The bill balances our fundamental right to inspect and access government information with our expectations that certain government records must be maintained confidentially.

SB189 does not reverse current laws that already protect private information. SB189 includes safeguards to protect against errant release of confidential information. In short, the bill has more than adequate protections for sensitive and confidential government information.

The governor also tells us that all the debate about open government legislation this session is because the news media alone is pushing this issue and no one else cares about it.

He's partly correct. It is a news media issue. Journalists poke and prod government for information on behalf of the public every day. It's the job of journalists to get at the truth and report it to the public. But government in South Dakota often hides that information behind one of the weakest open records laws in the country.

Ultimately, it's the public that is poorly served by the denial to basic government information. So, yes, it is a news media issue because South Dakota journalists know all too well the roadblocks created by government to keep secret essential information.

Members of the House State Affairs Committee have an opportunity Wednesday to advance open government in South Dakota and vote yes on SB189. But first, they must reject the falsehoods put forth by the governor about SB189.

- S.D. Newspaper Association