I’m a reporter working on a story involving financial disclosures from five top county leaders and noticed varying levels of redaction in the information provided.
They redacted home addresses, outside businesses, income, and, in at least one case, the job title of a spouse who also works for the county. Is this standard practice, and what can be done about inconsistencies like these?
Happy to share the documents for review or have an initial conversation to provide more background.
Thank you for reaching out.
While it’s true that some items in financial disclosures can be redacted for privacy reasons, public officials generally have a lower expectation of privacy in these matters. Here’s a breakdown of what might be considered reasonable or questionable redactions:
•Home Addresses: This is a common and generally accepted redaction for privacy and security reasons.
•Outside Businesses/Income: Some financial disclosure forms may opt to categorize income in broad ranges rather than specific dollar amounts. However, it’s crucial that the source of outside income be disclosed, as it speaks to potential conflicts of interest.
•Spouse’s Job Title: Redacting the job title of a spouse who works for the county raises a red flag. There’s little justification for this unless it compromises personal safety, and transparency should be prioritized in such cases.
Feel free to send over the forms, and we can further review the specifics.
