People might be hearing a lot more about what goes on behind closed doors thanks to Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris.

The Illinois Open Meetings Act allows county, municipal and school boards to go into closed session when discussing personnel matters, buying property and union negotiations.

And unfortunately, the information in these meetings sometimes becomes lost to the public when board members are told not to speak about what happened in the meeting.

Burris recently ruled that when a local government board meets and goes into closed session, it cannot impose a gag order on the board members at the meeting.

In other words, the board members cannot be forced not to talk about what was discussed during the closed session. One cheer for Burris who has taken one step closer to a more informed public.

And although this will not stop little “blood pacts” between board members, at least it will be a little easier for the public to learn the truth.

At a time when news from across the world gets censored on a daily basis, it’s encouraging to see it does not have a tightening effect back home.

The doors are opening, although slowly, to a more informed public. With this small wedge, the public can push through red tape and misplaced information to better acquaint themselves with what they’ve missed.