Sunshine Week

Winning Essays Debate Pros, Cons of Press Conferences

A winner has been named for each of the two positions in October's Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism Award on the Helium.com Web site. The first of these essays framed as a "yes" or "no" debate, the competition asked: Should government candidates be required to hold press conferences and answer questions from the media and the public?

The "yes" essay was penned by Erin Knight of Ontario, Canada, who called press conferences "essential" to helping voters determine which candidate will "best serve the needs and protect the rights" of the people.

"For voters to make an informed and unbiased decision, press conferences need to be implemented as part of a political campaign," Knight wrote. "Those candidates who are up to the government task at hand and have a solid platform will stand firm, while those whose platforms are flawed and cracked will be weeded out as undesirable."

Making the winning "no" argument was Justin Almeida, a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Romania and writing under the byline Paxus. Almeida called forced Q & A sessions "utterly redundant" and "no different from our televised debates or paid-for TV spots."

"Internet and mass media have made it easier and more efficient to research, collaborate with, and debate about our elected officials," he wrote. "Who know who they are, where they come from, what their favorite food is, how much they spend on clothing, who they hung out with in junior high school, what religion they subscribe to, their racial background, how many houses they own, and much more. Because of this, mandatory press conferences are just not needed. They have been rendered obsolete."

Read all 35 essays on both sides of the debate on the Helium.com Web site. As of this posting, 205 Helium.com members voted on the debate, with 79 percent choosing "yes" and 21 percent opting for "no."

The November essay contest, which closes Dec. 17, asks: What do you think the Obama administration's priorities for transparent government should be? Read more on the Sunshine Week siteabout what experts are suggesting to improve government openness. Sunshine Week's Helium.com essay contests are open to amateur and professional writers alike.

A "Unique" Primer on FOIA

Courtesy of Medill grad student Rob Heidrick and his blog, Shall Make No Law.

Open Government Experts Recommend Steps Toward Transparency In Obama Administration

Throughout the campaign, President-elect Obama put forward ambitious proposals for increasing government openness through technology and good old-fashioned sunshine. Several open government and technology experts and advocates have since issued their recommendations to the new administration, some of which have been collected on the Sunshine Week Web site.

Among those posted are the Center for Democracy & Technology, Center for Progressive Reform, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Federation of American Scientists/Secrecy News, National Security Archive, OMB Watch, Project On Government Oversight, Radio-Television News Directors Association, Reporters Without Borders, Sunlight Foundation, Sunshine in Government Initiative, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Word Resources Institute.

Read more here.

Obama Pledges Openness Through Technology

NOTE: Since this story was posted on Friday, Nov. 7, the pages linked to below have been removed from transition site, with no reason apparent. ProPublica is following the story.

President-elect Obama is proposing an ambitious agenda for increasing government openness through technology and good old-fashioned sunshine.

"The Bush administration has been one of the most secretive, closed administrations in America history," according to the transition Web site, Change.gov. "An Obama presidency will use cutting-edge technologies to reverse this dynamic, creating a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America's citizens."

Among the proposals are:

The creation of online databases for lobbying reports, ethics records and campaign finance filings
A "contracts and influence" database to track federal contractors' spending on lobby efforts
Online reporting of corporate tax breaks
Posting of non-emergency legislation for five days on the White House Web site for public review and comment
Cabinet-level broadband town hall meetings
A nullification of the Bush executive order stifling release of presidential records
The requirement that departments and agencies "conduct the significant business of the agency in public, so that any citizen can see in person or watch on the Internet these debates."

To oversee these efforts, Obama suggests the appointment of a chief technology officer who will "ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century."

More about President-elect Obama's technology and openness plans are posted at Change.gov.

In addition, several open government groups have put forward suggestions for specific areas where access to information can be improved. Read some of them here.

Fewer Candidates Answer Survey Questions in '08

The number of political candidates willing to answer non-partisan survey questions about their positions on a variety of issues has plummeted over the past 12 years, according to a new report from Project Vote Smart.

In 1996, about three-quarters of congressional (72 percent) and gubernatorial (77 percent) candidates responded to Project Vote Smart's Political Courage Test, a balanced, though comprehensive, position survey. By the 2008, the numbers had fallen to 41 and 46 percent, respectively. Responses by state legislative candidates have tracked even lower, logging in at 36 percent in 1996 and just 21 percent in 2008.

Incumbents in 2008 also tracked significantly lower than challengers. Eight in 10 members of Congress running for re-election declined to respond, compared to just over half of their challengers. Only one out of four incumbent governors in the race answered the survey questions; and just 14 percent of incumbent state legislators participated.

Project Vote Smart, a Sunshine Week partner, has spent the past six months travelling across the country introducing people to its Voters' Self-Defense System, a comprehensive database of information on candidates from local to national office, including biographies, voting records, speeches, campaign contributions and the like. The data can be accessed free on on the Web, or with the help of a dedicated researcher called toll free at 1-888-VOTE-SMART.

Read more on the Project Vote Smart Web site.

Groups Call for Transparency In New President's Administration

Regardless of who wins the presidential election, the one certainty is that there will be change. With an eye to that change, several groups are launching projects and reaching out to the candidates to ensure that government openness and Freedom of Information are priorities in the next administration.

Next President Must Commit to Transparency, WRI Says

The World Resources Institute has issued a policy paper that calls on the next president elect to commit to "transparency, inclusiveness and accountability in government."

In "Presiding with Principle" WRI Program Coordinator Remi Moncel notes that to succeed in the face of "an unprecedented set of complex and urgent challenges," the 44th president "needs to respond with a combination of strong leadership, participatory democracy and informed decision-making that reflects principles of good government and respect for the rule of law."

Specifically, WRI calls for: making government-held information available to the public unless limited exceptions apply; cooperation between the Executive Branch and Congress on oversight and interpretation of law; and a presidential guarantee of respect for the scientific integrity of federal agencies.

"Opaque decision-making and disregard for the separation of powers have resulted in poor decisions that have harmed the environment and public health, have undermined civil liberties and threatened national security. Before the next President pledges to uphold the Constitution, he should make clear that his oath includes the responsibility to ensure that the executive branch’s conduct will be driven by the essential principles of transparency, inclusiveness and accountability in government," the report concludes. Read more here…

Essay on Information as a Human Right Wins Sunshine Week Contest

Next up: Do Candidates Have to Sit for Media Interviews?

Guest judge Laura Neuman of The Carter Center in Atlanta has selected Birupakshya Dixit of Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, as the September winner of the Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism Award for his essay on the Helium.com Web site about access to information as a basic human right.

"Birupakshya Dixit makes a strong case for access to information to be considered a fundamental human right," said Neuman, associate director of the Americas Program and Access to Information Project manager. "In addition to international law, we are reminded of the critical need of information for human and economic development, for individuals to more positively engage in holding their governments to account, and as a necessary component for realizing other fundamental human rights."

Calling access to information a right that can help "human development and growth," Dixit wrote that, "During my involvement with [the] social development sector I have strongly felt that the marginalized people suffer a lot due to illiteracy, lack of awareness and knowledge on different programs designed for their development. There is lack of availability of information in one hand, and in the other people are unable to access the information. As a result the officials and the so-called duty bearers take the benefit of their ignorance and exploit them." Dixit's essay can be read online here.

In February, The Carter Center hosted more than 125 members of the global access community from 40 countries at the International Conference on the Right to Public Information. At this conference, the Atlanta Declaration was drafted. The Atlanta Declaration affirms "access to information is a fundamental human right" and sets forth a plan of action for ensuring that right is protected, preserved and exercised. More information about the conference and the Atlanta Declaration can be found on the Carter Center Web site

For the next month's Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism essay contest, which begins Oct. 6, writers are being asked to explore whether candidates for president, vice president or any elected office should be required to hold press conferences or answer questions from the news media and public, or if they should be allowed to communicate their positions in the format of their choice. The contest is open to professional and amateur writers alike. More information is available on the Helium Web site.

A Big Week for Freedom

Around the world, people who believe in free press, free speech and the freedom to know what their governments are doing, are celebrating these rights from Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2008.

In Mexico, the second annual México Abierto is being celebrated from Sept. 28-Oct. 4.

Based on the U.S. Sunshine Week model, México Abierto brings together journalists, students, academics, public service officials and non-government organizations.

Activities include publishing editorials and investigative articles, holding conferences and discussions with professionals and concerned citizens focusing on open government, and participating in forums on the use of Mexico's local and federal access to information laws.

For more information, visit the México Abierto Web site.

Also tied to International Right to Know Day, Sept. 28, FreedomInfo.org reports that more than 80 countries now have Freedom of Information laws ensuring their people have access to government-held information.

"Latin American countries in particular are witnessing new energy and milestones in expanding the right to know, in large part as a result of the landmark decision by the InterAmerican Human Rights Court in the case of Reyes v. Chile (2006) that access to government information is a fundamental human right," FreedomInfo.org reported.

Sept. 29 also marks the start of Banned Books Week, an annual event hosted by the American Library Association to remind people "not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted."

Banned Books Week "celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular," ALA explained, adding it also "stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met."

For more information, about Banned Books Week, and resources to celebrate it, visit the ALA Web site.

New England First Amendment Center Launched

The New England First Amendment Center has been launched by Northeastern University's School of Journalism and the New England First Amendment Coalition to focus attention on government access issues.

Among its activities, the Center will call attention to efforts to restrict access to public records and meetings, and it will maintain a Web site and hotline providing information and assistance to journalists and others. It also intends to engage in original research and host seminars on public records and open meetings laws.

"There is a need for greater awareness of the importance of freedom of information in a free society," said NEFAC President Tom Heslin, interim executive editor of the Providence (R.I.) Journal. "The right to know is as essential to a functioning democracy as the right to vote."

Read more ….