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• Rep. Jim Bolin, R-Dist. 16, was absolutely correct when he said, "This is a bill about the First Amendment, the right of the media to have access to events paid for by taxpayers." The bill was one of the few pieces of open government legislation that was approved this legislative session.
• For lawmakers, we realize it was in some cases a difficult fight, and it took hard work to push the bill through to approval. However, the legislation easily prevailed in the Senate and, in the end, overwhelmingly passed 50-20 in the House Wednesday.
• It would be simplistic to look at this victory for the public as just a news organization fight. Indeed, it is about the right of the citizens who pay taxes so that schools can operate to have equal access to events at their schools. That includes the news media, which is guaranteed that right under the First Amendment.
• Technology has changed and enlarged the number of ways that media companies can cover the news to include online, social media and the more traditional print and broadcast format. News companies, large and small, have started broadcasting live the high school games on the Internet, allowing people who are unable to attend the games to watch their child, grandchild or favorite team on their computer.
• We think that is good, that more people are able to see a school event. We also don't believe it takes away anything from the event itself but enhances the chance for people to connect with their district, even if it is just a game or other event.
• That's important to a healthy government and an informed electorate. When it comes to the First Amendment, it's bigger than a ballgame.
• ___
• Yankton Press & Dakotan, Yankton, Feb. 26, 2013
• Cyber security moves to forefront
• The term "cyber security" still seems like a vast, nebulous issue to many of us who have difficulty grasping the enormity and complexity of the aptly labeled World Wide Web.
• The Internet has created unprecedented connectivity between households, between cities and even between nations. In that sense, it is a technological miracle that has redefined life there past 20 years.
• But that also creates myriad back doors through which harm could be inflicted upon a household, a city and a nation.
• The latest reminders of that point are found in the recent reports that the Chinese allegedly hacked into U.S. infrastructure. According to The Associated Press, it's believed "massive amounts of data and corporate trade secrets, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were stolen."
• The concern is what could happen if a hostile nation or group was able to shut

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