Sunshine Week 2015 is celebrated March 15-21 but the annual project’s goals – open government, transparency and accountability – should be sought every day of the year.

Begun in 2002 by Florida 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 project is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Gridiron Club and Foundation. National coordinators are the American Society of News Editors and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Open Government is Good Government
The Sunshine Week slogan is self-explanatory. The organization’s website – www.sunshineweek.org – features a long list of resources for news outlets, community groups and educational institutions to use to further the practice of open government. On the site’s menu bar, click Toolkit, Idea Bank or Schools & Colleges to find a trove of open government and FOI projects and programs.

Let the Sunshine In
The slogan for the Society of Professsional Journalists mirrors the Sunshine Week theme with an emphasis on FOI endeavors. Click here for valuable tools to use for FOI projects. And, like the Sunshine Week site, it is a convenient location to learn what groups around the country are doing in conjunction with the annual event.

The Voice for Open Government in Colorado
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is a non-partisan alliance of groups and individuals dedicated to ensuring the transparency of government in the state by promoting freedom of the press, open courts and open access to government records and meetings. It is an excellent source of relevant and timely information about FOI activities in Colorado. Its website features updated reports about FOI-related actions in the legislature, courts and local government as well as resources for help on FOI issues.

The National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are valuable sites for year-round open government and FOI issues.

Earlier this month, the SPJ Colorado Pro Chapter posted Sunshine Week commentaries on its website. They can be used by news organizations, civic groups, and schools and colleges any time of the year to help promote open government:

“Let’s recast the definition of ‘freedom of information'” by SPJ Region 9 director Tom Johnson

“We must remember to use the First Amendment” by CSU professor and Colorado SPJ Sunshine Chair Kris Kodrich

“Strengthen open meeting laws” by CFOIC executive director Jeff Roberts

“Sunshine in government is not a natural phenomenon, as it is in nature” by Denver journalist Nancy Watzman