Online Public Relations Thoughts

This is an example of where transparency fails. In forging agreement among hostile parties, it is best that few witness the event. Although plenty of leaks emanated from the meeting over the weekend, there was no member of the press watching play-by-play. It is a good thing too. Legislators were able to place their fears, anger and resistance on the table with less concern of others learning about it.

Transparency has limits, and those who want totally open government, sometimes fail to appreciate that. Their belief is that the public will understand if it is allowed to see the inner workings of government. What happens though is that the public is confused, enraged and another pressure point that negotiators don't need. It is better that the public see a final result rather than watching how the sausage was made.