Celebrate Sunshine Week

Sherman Oaks Patch is participating in Sunshine Week by promoting and celebrating open government and freedom of information.

We aim to engage our communities in conversation about the importance of the public’s right to know and about local and state freedom of information, "sunshine laws" and the public records that are available. It's important to know how to get, use and decipher this information. It's also crucial to explain how and why journalists utilize public records to further their core mission of covering and informing their communities.

First, a little background on Sunshine Week. It was launched in 2005 by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.  Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.  

The week, March 13–19, is funded primarily by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami, along with the ASNE Foundation.

Join us at Sherman Oaks Patch and spread a little sunshine around town.

In recognizing earlier Sunshine Weeks, many public officials around the country issued proclamations extolling openness in government. A few introduced significant open government legislation or signed executive orders. It’s time the pronouncements become actions and the few become the many.

This Sunshine Week, community members can press their public officials to do more, seeking not just broad statements of support for greater transparency but specific pledges and plans of action to enhance the public’s right to know.

Sunshine Week 2011 can be a time when you as a citizen or civic organization make a difference, by identifying local or state open government shortcomings and then asking your public officials to pledge and initiate specific improvements in local or state law and practice.

To assist your efforts, the Sunshine Week team has created a sample "Open Government Proclamation" that you, or your group, can take to your public officials to seek a commitment on open government.

A sampling of open government provisions that have brought greater transparency to local and state governments can also be found on the Sunshine Week website. These are examples of the kind of specific action that may be needed in  your community or state. 

We hope you will find these useful in considering what sunshine commitments are needed in your government and in crafting a specific proclamation and action pledge to present to your public officials.

Read more about Sunshine Week by clicking here.