In “Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back,” Miranda Spivack tells the stories of ordinary citizens who discovered that local and state governments they thought were there to protect them weren’t doing their jobs. Instead, these “accidental activists” found not only a lack of transparency, but also often resistance when searching for information about how to resolve community issues.

Does their work provide a roadmap — and hope — for others? Spivack, author and former Washington Post editor and reporter, is this episode’s guest on Equal Time.