The Post-Journal and OBSERVER were recognized this week as “Open Government Champions” during a Zoom meeting held by the New York Coalition for Open Government.

Staff reporter M.J. Stafford was cited for his work not only for his coverage of the village of Fredonia, but also for an article on state Gov. Kathy Hochul not having any open government mention during her State of the State address.

“The open meetings law means a lot … but there is no enforcement mechanism,” Stafford said during the meeting. “These government officials would be a lot more accountable if they could be a little bit afraid of prison time. … The open meetings law is imperfect, but better than nothing.”

Other newspapers, including the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Lockport Union & Sun Journal also were recognized for their efforts in keeping local government accountable.