Sunshine Week issues model open government proclamation

RESTON, Va. — The organization responsible for administering Sunshine Week today issued a model open-government proclamation that can be used by citizens and community groups to fight for greater transparency in government.

The “Sunshine Week Open Government Proclamation,” can be adapted for local, state and federal use by open-government activists, who can use language in the proclamation to press for specific pledges and plans of actions to enhance the public’s right to know.

Details and a sample proclamation can be found here: http://www.sunshineweek.org/proclamation.aspx

Sunshine Week (http://www.sunshineweek.org/Home.aspx) is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. It takes place this year on the week of March 13-19.

Sunshine Week will develop an “Honor Roll” listing government entities that adopt the proclamation in whole or in part, pledging to strengthen transparency in government.

Spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors in 2005, Sunshine Week participants
include news and journalism organizations, civic leaders, librarians, public officials, bloggers,
teachers, students and a growing list of nonprofit groups and associations. Many Sunshine
Week materials are also available in Spanish.

Sunshine Week is funded primarily by grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami and the ASNE Foundation. The project also has received a grant for 2011 from The Gridiron Club and Foundation.

For more information contact Diana Mitsu Klos at ASNE, dmk@asne.org or 703-453-1125.