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Civil Beat puts a particular emphasis on reporting on transparency in government.

Here are 10 stories from this year that show the state of transparency in Hawaii.

• Abercrombie Never Promised Transparency, April 6, 2011: Just how much of an advocate for transparency should voters have expected Neil Abercrombie to be? Based on Civil Beat’s research of his key public pronouncements while running for governor and since his election, not much.

• Hawaii Disclosure Law For Government Officials Not Transparent, April 25, 2011: More than 90 percent of financial disclosures — documents required to be filed by Hawaii public employees and politicians to enhance government transparency — are not visible to the public.

• The Price is Wrong , April 26, 2011: A Civil Beat investigation of public financial disclosures shows the real estate values listed by 14 Hawaii lawmakers differed from public assessments. Discrepancies ranged into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

• Most Hawaii Lawmakers Don’t Own Stock — Or So They Say, Anyway, April 27, 2011: The vast majority of Hawaii’s lawmakers don’t invest in stocks or mutual funds, according to their public financial disclosure statements.

• No Hawaii Lawmakers Disclose Dependents With Stocks, Mutual Funds, April 27, 2011: Not a single lawmaker in Hawaii claims to have a child with at least a $5,000 stake in a stock or mutual fund.

• What You Won’t Learn From Honolulu Council Financial Disclosure Forms, May 31, 2011: An examination of the disclosures of Honolulu’s nine City Council members revealed that there are problems with local reporting requirements.

• Hawaii Senate Keeps Public in Dark, June 2, 2011: The Hawaii Senate does not produce an online journal chronicling what happens on the floor during the legislative session, making it essentially impossible for the public to track potential conflicts of interest in voting.

• Sixty Percent of Hawaii Senators Filed Disclosure Reports After Session, June 3, 2011: More than 60 percent of Hawaii senators did not file their financial disclosures during the 2011 Legislature.

• Off The Beat: Another Judge Selected Without Public Input, Aug. 16: 2011: Gov. Neil Abercrombie ultimately wasn’t successful in keeping the names of judicial nominees secret, after the Honolulu Star-Advertiser sued to challenge him. But his refusal made for a long-running controversy.

• Off The Beat: Hawaii’s ‘Dark Age’ of Information, Sept. 13, 2011: There’s no requirement in Hawaii that boards and commissions post meeting notices and agendas to the state calendar.

The Series:

• 2011 Year in Review — Civil Beat Tells Hawaii’s Story
• 2011 Year in Review — DC808
• 2011 Year in Review — Hawaii
• 2011 Year in Review — Honolulu
• 2011 Year in Review — Land
• 2011 Year in Review — Money
• 2011 Year in Review — Education
• 2011 Year in Review — Ethics