-- Chinese Proverb

Last week on The Post-Star's "Your Right to Know" blog, someone wrote in and asked if we could file a Freedom of Information Law request on their behalf to get a copy of the Schuylerville teacher salaries, just like we'd done to get the Queensbury teacher salaries.

Yes, we could do that. We are indeed experienced with filing such requests. We tend to know the law because we deal with it every day. We know the lingo. And we know where to go to get advice.

But we didn't file the FOIL. Not because we didn't want to help. But because we wanted to send a message.

If you don't exercise your rights yourselves, if you don't show the government that you value those rights, eventually you will lose them.

For government officials to truly understand and respond to the need for open government, they have to know that the citizens care about it. And they won't get that message if the only one asking for government records is the newspaper.

The more people who exercise their right to access the government, the less likely governments will feel empowered to operate in secret. The more you challenge them, the less likely they'll be to close a meeting or deny a document. If they know the public is watching them like a hawk, they'll be less likely to try to pull the wool over your eyes.

And here's the best part. It's not that difficult to get records. You don't need a journalism degree. You don't need a lawyer. You don't even need a reason for asking. All you need is the basic instruction we're about to give you, and you'll be on your way to getting the information you want -- yourself.

STEP 1: Locate the government records officer

If you send your FOIL request to the wrong person, it's likely to delay the processing of the record or result in your request being denied. You can find records officers by either checking local government Web sites (most have them now) or by getting the phone book and calling. Most records officers will have the word "clerk" in their title. That's a good place to start. Make sure you get an e-mail address or street address where the request can be sent.

STEP 2: Determine the specific records you're after

The more specific you are able to be with your request, the fewer delays you'll experience and the more likely it will be that you'll get the records you want. One state employee told us the other day that he couldn't remember how many times someone wasn't able to articulate exactly the information they were searching for. In our experience, most government officials are happy to help with Freedom of Information Law requests. If you're not sure what you're looking for exactly, make a phone call to the agency and explain it to them. They'll likely point you in the right direction. Also, be sure you articulate a time frame for the records you want in your request. Don't just ask for teacher salaries. If you want this year's teachers' salaries, say, "teacher salaries for the 2007-2008 school year."

STEP 3: Write your FOIL request.

This is where we can make it easy for you. The state has produced a template of a FOIL letter that you are welcome to use verbatim. We've provided that template on Page E1. It's the same one our editors and reporters use to file their FOIL requests. It's complete, official and familiar to most government officials. We've got an electronic version of it posted on our Your Right to Know blog, which you can copy and paste into an e-mail or document file. Substitute your request for the XXX's and you're on your way. Remember to ask for the records to be sent to you electronically. It'll save you time, as well as the expense of paying 25 cents for each page of a written record. If a government keeps a record electronically, it has to give it to you that way.

STEP 4: Send your request.

You're allowed to send FOIL requests via e-mail. That's the fastest way to get a response. Most government agencies have e-mail. Sending by e-mail also saves time if you mistakenly send the request to the wrong agency.

If you go to prepare your FOIL and you get stuck or have questions, we will gladly help you through the process. We want to be a resource for you. Editorial Page Editor Mark Mahoney hosts our Your Right to Know blog and is more than willing to personally give you any assistance you need. Send him an e-mail at mahoney@poststar.com, call him at 742-3220, or post a comment on the blog. He'll get the message and he'll get back to you.

You have the right to know what your government is doing. And you have the means to find out. If you don't take it upon yourself to exercise your rights, you may wake up one day and find those rights have disappeared.

Local editorials represent the opinion of The Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Rona Rahlf, Editor Ken Tingley, Editorial Page Editor Mark Mahoney and citizen representative Michael Cruz.