The Argus Leader deserves plaudits for its coverage of the secret Janklow pardons, which has culminated today in an unmitigated victory for the people's right to know. Clearly, the AL has the ability to do determined, thorough, and hard-nosed investigative reporting, an ability that the paper needs to demonstrate more often on a wide range of issues in this election year. To be sure, the AL does not exactly have clean hands when it comes to the issue of secrecy, as the statement of one of the pardoned individuals indicates.
Earlier this week, it was discovered that the Argus Leader editors had surreptitiously made a major factual correction to an important story without publishing the correction in their "Corrections & Clarifications" column, which seems to be part of this problem. Hopefully, the Argus Leader's editors understand the concept of media accountability, which is why the people's right to know should not stop at the newsroom door.
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