Sunshine Week - Freedom of Government Information

This Sunday, March 13, 2005, American news organizations will participate in “Sunshine Sunday” by running stories and editorials in support of public access to government information. "Sunshine Sunday" kicks off Sunshine Week, a project designed to focus attention on the public's right of access to government information.“This is not just an issue for the press. It’s an issue for the public,” said Andy Alexander, ASNE Freedom of Information chair, who is chief of the Cox Newspapers’ Washington bureau. “An alarming amount of public information is being kept secret from citizens and the problem is increasing by the month. Not only do citizens have a right to know, they have a need to know." “Our goal is the raise public awareness of this horrible trend that is hurting democracy,” he said of the Sunshine Week project. “We hope that it sparks a public dialogue about the value of open government and the damage to citizens from excessive government secrecy."FreeCulture.org has organized "Blogshine Sunday" for March 13.Blogshine Sunday, at http://blogshine.org, is about preserving the right of all citizens, not just credentialed journalists, to observe the workings of their government.

SUNSHINE Week - Sunshine Week Showcase