There have been many times over the years that I have put on my reporter hat (OK, I don’t actually have one, that’s just an expression), walked into a government office and asked for a copy of something. It might have been meeting minutes from the city council or a “probable cause” document from law enforcement.

I cannot think of a time when the person I made the request to wasn’t friendly and cooperative. And I always tried to be the same. If the minutes weren’t ready yet, I agreed to come back later. I’ve never felt like someone tried to hide something.

It turns out though t...