The Right to know v/s Right to "NO"

The issue:-

It is frequently advisable for those in positions of authority in government to withhold information from the general public.

“With great power comes great responsibility”

This famous line from 'The Spiderman' series could very well refer to those in positions of authority in government, who are required to conduct themselves in an exemplar fashion all the time as they are under constant scrutiny by the public. This responsibility sometimes includes withholding vital information from the general public with the best intentions of safeguarding the interests of the common man. On this account, they face the brickbats on several occasions when their intentions are misconstrued by the very same people they are trying to serve.

“Knowledge is power "- it is often said. In the modern day era of ever-pervading media coverage, access to information is made available to anyone who seeks it. The right to information is inalienable and any attempt to compromise on dissemination of information about the functioning of the government is tantamount to impingement of this inalienable right, for as Abraham Lincoln said the democratic government is
“For the people, by the people and of the people”
The government functions on the tax-payers' money and it is answerable to them in every conceivable way. It is only the autocrats who deny the public the power of knowledge; in fact they thrive on the ignorance of the people. Transparency of the government's functioning is a hallmark of civilized society.

On the other hand, the very nature of some policy decisions demands that they be kept out of reach of the hoi-polloi. The first such example that comes to one's mind is a country's defense policy; making an open book of the country's defense secrets will jeopardize the nation's security; in fact, it would be perfidious and suicidal to do so. The media is often accused, sometimes rightly, of being nosy and trying to leak out vital government secrets and presenting the people with garbled versions of activities of government officials for sheer sensationalism. Everyone is entitled to privacy and there is no reason why the government officials must be denied their professional and personal space.

A generalization is hardly possible in trying to arrive at a consensus on an issue as contentious as the one presented here. It is both the prerogative and the duty of those in positions of authority in the government to exercise caution and discretion in trying to arrive at a balance between keeping the general public informed and safeguarding national secrets. Make no mistake, Spidey was in no tangle when he said this:-

"With great power comes great responsibility"