Michael Kelly Mort Kondracke Ch.
Secrecy expands to fill officialdom's desire for it, which is unlimited.
It doesn't have to be a White House scandal or even a city council meeting that gets the secrecy treatment. This week it's been the fiery death of a much admired race car driver. The newspaper would like to have an expert on head injuries examine the photographs and determine the cause of death. According to Florida law, these autopsy photos should be part of the public record, but a judge has sealed them at the request of Dale Earnhardt's widow. A wise judge in Daytona Beach told Mrs. Earnhardt and the Orlando Sentinel to meet with a mediator who will try to find common ground.