Editing Openness (section)

== In government ==
{{Main article|Open government}}
Open government is the governing [[doctrine]] which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public [[Regulation|oversight]].<ref name="ruma">{{cite book |editor1-first=Daniel |editor1-last=Lathrop |editor2-first=Laurel |editor2-last=Ruma |title=Open Government: Transparency, Collaboration and Participation in Practice |publisher=O'Reilly Media |date=February 2010 |url=https://archive.org/details/opengovernmentco00lath_0 |isbn=978-0-596-80435-0 |url-access=registration }}</ref>

Openness in government applies the idea of [[freedom of information]] to information held by authorities and holds that citizens should have the right to see the operations and activities of government at work.<ref name = "Birkinshaw">{{cite journal|last=Birkinshaw|first=Patrick|title=FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND OPENNESS: FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS?|journal=Administrative Law Review|volume=58|issue=1|pages=177–218|url=http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=ac4899af-cdac-4b67-8b67-d0f7951e70b3%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=124&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=20477744&anchor=AN0020477744-10|access-date=1 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829003311/http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=ac4899af-cdac-4b67-8b67-d0f7951e70b3%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=124&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=20477744&anchor=AN0020477744-10|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Since reliable information is requisite for accountability, freedom of access to information about the government supports government accountability and helps protect other necessary rights.<ref name = "Birkinshaw"/>