Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week 2007: Regional Coordinators Named

The six regional coordinators for Sunshine Week 2007 have signed on and will begin recruiting print, broadcast and other coordinators in their area's states.

The regional coordinators for 2007 are:

New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont): Thomas E. Heslin, managing editor for new media, The Providence (R.I.) Journal.

Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, Washington, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania): Tim Franklin, editor and senior vice president, The Baltimore (Md.) Sun.

South (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia): Mark Tomasik, editor, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin):Tom O’Hara, managing editor, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

West (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming): Fred Zipp, managing editor, Austin (Texas) American-Statesman.

Far West (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington): Maureen West, senior editor, Arizona Republic, Tucson.

If you'd like to volunteer in your state, please contact your regional coordinator or Sunshine Week Coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez.

Shining Examples: Gallery Eight

The Greenville (S.C.) News: From secrecy in the courts to report fees, online resources, emergency response plans and how people can effect change, each day during Sunshine Week The Greenville News ran a front-page article on an open government issue involving its community. In addition to its print coverage, an info box each day explained Sunshine Week and directed readers to the News' Web site for more resources, including how to file a Freedom of Information Act request.

Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci; 122nd Maine Legislature: Lawmakers in Maine got behind Sunshine Week, supporting it with proclamations, resolutions and opinion pieces. The official state Web site also posted information about Sunshine Week on its Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) page, which also sports the Sunshine Week evergreen logo.

The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch: The Richmond Times-Dispatch focused its fourth Public Square forum on "Your Right to Know: Keeping Government Open" during Sunshine Week 2006. The event, held at a local college and moderated by Times-Dispatch President and Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri, complemented the paper's print and online coverage.

The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.: The Journal Gazette's main Sunshine Week feature examined the difficulty prisoners have in getting public information. The paper partnered its print reporting with a strong Open Records page on its Web site that included links its news reporting, and directed readers to state and federal resources, documents such as a handbook on the state's Public Access Laws and a sample request letter.

The Freedom of Information Act Turns 40

On July 4, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act—reluctantly. Very reluctantly.

In the ensuing 40 years, FOIA has become an invaluable tool for journalists, business, nonprofit organizations and individuals seeking access to the government information they have a right to see.

At the heart of FOIA is the notion that people living in a democracy—a system for, by and of those people—have the right to know what their government is doing, and why.

On the occasion of FOIA's 40th anniversary, several media and nonprofit organizations weighed in with data, opinion and other thoughts about the state of the act, how it might be fixed and why it's so vital to our nation.

Below is a sampling of some of the offerings specifically marking the occasion and the importance of access to government information, as collected by Sunshine Week staff and our able research assistant, Google Alerts. If you've got or know of others that should be included, please e-mail them to Sunshine Week Coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez.