Sunshine Week: Difference between revisions

Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week
Date	The week containing March 16
2024 date	March 10–16
2025 date	March 16–22
2026 date	March 15–21

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Sunshine Week is a U.S. nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. It is based at the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project

In 2025, there will be a Sunshine Fest held in Washington, D.C.

Overview

Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison's birthday.

During Sunshine Week, news organizations, civic and watchdog groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and other participants engage public discussion on the importance of open government through news and feature articles and opinion columns; social media campaigns; infographics; editorial cartoons; public service advertising; public seminars and online or in-person forums. The purpose of the week is to highlight the fact that "government functions best when it operates in the open."^[1] In many states, however, legislatures exempt themselves from public-records laws, claiming "legislative immunity."^[2]

History

The Florida Society of Newspaper Editors launched Sunshine Sunday in 2002 in response to efforts by some Florida legislators to create scores of new exemptions to the state's public records law. The following year, the idea of a national Sunshine Sunday was raised at an American Society of Newspaper Editors Freedom of Information summit.

In the planning stages, it was decided that the initiative needed to be more than a single Sunday, and Sunshine Week was established in March 2005 by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.The first nationwide Sunshine Week took place March 13–19, 2005.

In 2019, ASNE and the Associated Press Media Editors merged to form the News Leaders Association (NLA). In December 2023, NLA placed Sunshine Week with the Brechner FOI Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

References

^ Dukes, Tyler (March 13, 2016). "Sunshine Week to celebrate government transparency". WRAL. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
^ Lieb, David (March 14, 2016). "Many state legislatures exempt themselves from record laws". thenewstribune.com. Associated Press. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

External links

[1] Dukes, Tyler (March 13, 2016). "Sunshine Week to celebrate government transparency". WRAL. Retrieved March 13, 2016.

[2] Lieb, David (March 14, 2016). "Many state legislatures exempt themselves from record laws". thenewstribune.com. Associated Press. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
 {{Infobox holiday
-|holiday_name  = Sunshine Week
+|holiday_name  = [https://www.sunshineweek.org Sunshine Week]
 |type          = national
 |image         = rlogohc.jpg
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 }}
+'''[https://sunshineweek.org/ Sunshine Week]''' is a U.S. nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. It is based at the [https://brechner.org/foi/ Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project]
-'''Sunshine Week''' is a national initiative spearheaded by the [[American Society of News Editors]] to educate the public about the importance of [[open government]] and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary [[Secrecy#Government_secrecy|secrecy]]. It was established in March 2005 with funding from the [[John S. and James L. Knight Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sunshine Week|url=http://sunshineweek.rcfp.org/|website=Sunshine Week|accessdate=13 March 2016}}</ref>
+In 2025, there will be a [https://sunshineweek.org/sunshine-fest/ Sunshine Fest] held in Washington, D.C.
 == Overview ==
-Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with [[James Madison]]'s birthday and National Freedom of Information Day on the 16th.
+Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with [[James Madison]]'s birthday.
-During Sunshine Week, hundreds of media organizations, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and other participants engage public discussion on the importance of open government through news and feature articles and opinion columns; special Web pages and blogs; infographics; editorial cartoons; public service advertising; public seminars and forums. The purpose of the week is to highlight the fact that "government functions best when it operates in the open."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dukes|first1=Tyler|title=Sunshine Week to celebrate government transparency|url=http://www.wral.com/sunshine-week-to-celebrate-government-transparency/15520676/|accessdate=13 March 2016|publisher=WRAL|date=13 March 2016}}</ref> In many states, however, legislatures exempt themselves from public-records laws, claiming "legislative immunity."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lieb|first1=David|title=Many state legislatures exempt themselves from record laws|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article65959872.html|accessdate=14 March 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=thenewstribune.com|date=14 March 2016}}</ref>
+During Sunshine Week, news organizations, civic and watchdog groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and other participants engage public discussion on the importance of open government through news and feature articles and opinion columns; social media campaigns; infographics; editorial cartoons; public service advertising; public seminars and online or in-person forums. The purpose of the week is to highlight the fact that "government functions best when it operates in the open."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dukes|first1=Tyler|title=Sunshine Week to celebrate government transparency|url=http://www.wral.com/sunshine-week-to-celebrate-government-transparency/15520676/|accessdate=13 March 2016|publisher=WRAL|date=13 March 2016}}</ref> In many states, however, legislatures exempt themselves from public-records laws, claiming "legislative immunity."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lieb|first1=David|title=Many state legislatures exempt themselves from record laws|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article65959872.html|accessdate=14 March 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=thenewstribune.com|date=14 March 2016}}</ref>
 ==History==
-The Florida Society of Newspaper Editors launched Sunshine Sunday in 2002 in response to efforts by some Florida legislators to create scores of new exemptions to the state's public records law. The following year, the idea of a national Sunshine Sunday was raised at an ASNE [[Freedom of Information]] summit.
+The Florida Society of Newspaper Editors launched Sunshine Sunday in 2002 in response to efforts by some Florida legislators to create scores of new exemptions to the state's public records law. The following year, the idea of a national Sunshine Sunday was raised at an American Society of Newspaper Editors [[Freedom of Information]] summit.
-In the planning stages, it was decided that the initiative needed to be more than a single Sunday, and Sunshine Week was born.
+In the planning stages, it was decided that the initiative needed to be more than a single Sunday, and Sunshine Week was established in March 2005 by the [[American Society of Newspaper Editors]], with funding from the [[John S. and James L. Knight Foundation]].The [https://web.archive.org/web/20050331085059/http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/launch first nationwide Sunshine Week] took place March 13–19, 2005.
+In 2019, ASNE and the Associated Press Media Editors merged to form the [https://www.newsleaders.org/ News Leaders Association (NLA)]. In December 2023, [https://brechner.org/2023/12/11/brechner-freedom-of-information-project-to-lead-national-sunshine-week/ NLA placed Sunshine Week with the Brechner FOI Project] at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
-The first nationwide Sunshine Week took place March 13–19, 2005.
 ==See also==
@@ Line 52: / Line 54: @@
 ==External links==
 *[http://www.sunshineweek.org Sunshine Week]
+*[http://brechner.org/2023/12/11/brechner-freedom-of-information-project-to-lead-national-sunshine-week Brechner FOI Project to lead Sunshine Week]
 *[http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/national-foi-day National Freedom of Information (FOI) Day]
 *[http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/federallegislation/govinfo/opengov/freedomofinfo American Library Association page for: Freedom of Information Day]
 *[http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/gd/publicrecords.htm Guides to Public Records] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090509003535/http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Publications.shtml Publications from the U.S. Government] from [[USA.gov]]
-*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/ The Center for Public Integrity]
 *[https://news.vice.com/article/it-took-a-foia-lawsuit-to-uncover-how-the-obama-administration-killed-foia-reform It Took a FOIA Lawsuit to Uncover How the Obama Administration Killed FOIA Reform], Vice News
 *[http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/solutions/public_records_tracker/default.aspx Microsoft: Government Public Records Tracker from Eskel Porter Consulting]
@@ Line 65: / Line 67: @@
 [[Category:March observances]]
 [[Category:Awareness weeks in the United States]]
+[[Category:2005 establishments in the United States]]