MCPS: Democracy's Dark Lagoon

MCPS staff take note. The Baltimore Sun's Inside Ed reporter Sara Neufeld comments on how a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals case, involving a public employee who leaked information to the press, relates to coverage of public school systems.

Neufeld notes, "This case is interesting to me, since I regularly encounter school system employees who won't talk to me or provide me with information for fear of being disciplined." She quotes from the Court of Appeals decision:

...Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who says society actually needs more government insiders to leak information to reporters, particularly in this time of newspaper cutbacks...

The Baltimore Sun article quotes that in the opinion, Wilkinson wrote that "intense scrutiny of the inner workings of massive public bureaucracies charged with major public responsibilities is in deep trouble," and the judge hoped "the complex and powerful machinery of government [will] not become democracy's dark lagoon."

What's an example of a massive public bureaucracy? The Montgomery County Public School system.

Wanted: MCPS insider's to leak information to the press or blogs. No application required. All information welcome.