A curious but alarming phenomenon appears to be hampering free speech in America. We are not talking about top secret national defense or espionage issues. We are talking about public- works projects and the lack of direct access by the press to construction professionals involved.

Many architectural, engineering and construction firms working on such projects are being muzzled by large and powerful government agencies. These firms are being paid with taxpayer dollars to deliver public projects yet are required to channel all press inquiries to the agency in charge of their particular effort. Why? It is legitimate to have a uniform process for handling such inquires, but to have spin control and secrecy when things are not going well or keeping accurate financial information out of the public view as projects are being promoted to voters and politicians should not be an option.

For a free press to operate efficiently, there must be open access, truthful discussions and disclosure, integrity in reporting and trust in professional sources. The public has a right to know about events that could impact them and how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent.

Many times in requiring journalists to talk to agencies directly, the officials just want to know who is making the inquiries and the nature of their questions. They then will sometimes reluctantly, sometimes not, allow a reporter to do his or her job and go directly to a professional source. When that happens, and industry players susequently talk directly to the press, the result is likely to be an accurate article in a publication.

But more often, agency personnel (usually public-relations spokespersons) will attempt to address the questions with limited knowledge and understanding — but in a politically correct manner. Or they may try to act as an information conduit between the reporter and the professional source, with many twists and bends that often produce mixed results in print or online.

So what is the proper role of a public agency in dealing with press inquiries, and what should be the role of professional industry firms when working on public projects? Should these firms be required to sign agreements ceding press control to the agency as a condition of employment? No. Do government agencies have a primary responsibility to taxpaying citizens to ensure free and open access for the press? Yes.

Such a world would require a real culture change at some agencies, but others handle it quite well. Let's put those best practices to work and stop press censorship on construction projects now.