We talk a lot in the newsroom about values. They put the meaning into what we do as journalists. One of our most important values is to ensure that the “public’s business is conducted in public – always.”

What does that mean to you as a citizen of this region and a reader of this newspaper? It means that The Spokesman-Review strives to provide public access to the decisions and decision-makers that affect all of our lives.

In that spirit, the newspaper has taken a leadership role, along with Court of Appeals Judge John Schultheis and our media law attorney Duane Swinton, in reconvening a local group called the Bench Bar Press Committee. On Wednesday, the group met for the first time in more than two years.

The good news is that some very important decision-makers also came to the meeting, all in the name of fostering better communication that ultimately will benefit you and other citizens of this region.

The Bench Bar Press Committee is comprised of Spokane-area judges, law enforcement officers, attorneys and journalists who want to create a way to talk constructively about issues that often put us at odds.

The committee, which has no formal membership requirements, has been meeting in some fashion since the 1980s. In the past, the group has addressed such issues as public access to law enforcement records, state laws governing open public meetings, and pre-trial publicity in high-profile court cases. At least four times in the past, the committee has sponsored forums for the public on similar topics, and will likely do so again.

Similar groups meet throughout the country. Washington state’s Bench Bar Press Committee was formed in 1963 to address “the tensions between the constitutional values of ‘free press’ and ‘fair trial.’ ” The state group was instrumental in opening Washington courtrooms to cameras in 1976 and helped develop a statement of non-binding principles that guide the relationships among judges, attorneys and the press.

It’s important work, wherever and however it occurs.

Wednesday’s group was more than 30 strong and included an impressive array of judges, attorneys and journalists. While our work often generates tension, we share a common mission: Journalists want access to information, judges want to ensure fair trials, and attorneys and law enforcement officers want to protect citizens. In the purest sense, we all serve the public.

The quarterly meetings are meant to be candid, which means you won’t necessarily read about them in the newspaper. Our hope is that through free-flowing debate, we can reach common ground, and it will make our reporting of public-safety issues more thorough.

For The Spokesman-Review, there are two practical reasons to participate: to have a forum for explaining why and what we do on behalf of public access, and to understand how that mission impacts the legal community.

The citizens of this region are fortunate that so many smart, articulate and energetic thinkers are willing to sit down in a neutral setting and talk about what is ultimately the health of our community and the education of our citizens.