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Sunshine Week 2006 Toolkit Archive

Published: August 17, 2006
Last Updated: August 17, 2006

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Sunshine Week and Your Right to Know Logos
Sunshine Week Print Ads
Opinion Columns
Editorials
Editorial Cartoons
Informational Graphics
Radio and Television Public Service Ads
State-specific Resources and Events
Associated Press Sunshine Week 2006 Advisory
'Bright Ideas' for Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week Poster
Editors' Tools
Library Resources
Ordering Information for 'Govern in Sunshine' Wristbands

Sunshine Week logos are available in color and black-and-white jpgs, in horizontal and vertical layouts. The logos may be used in any Sunshine Week-related materials, including but certainly not limited to news coverage, commentary, Web sites, posters, fliers and educational materials. This logo may be used only during or in advance promotion for Sunshine Week, March 12-18, 2006.Click here for downloadable images in English and Spanish.

In addition, the Sunshine Week icon has been adapted into the Your Right to Know logo, which is available for use all year with open government/FOI reporting, events and other related initiatives. Download that logo here.

Several versions of a Sunshine Week print ad are available for use March 12-18 and for advance promotions specific to coverage or events that week.

An evergreen "Your Right to Know" logo also is available for use the rest of the year.

The print ads were built around an original graphic from The Telegraph in Nashua, N.H.

They are available in color and black-and-white, and in versions that can stand alone or incorporate your logo.

Click here to get the ads.

Vaya aquí para el español.

A few lines short in the classifieds? Is the mosaic of movie ads in the Weekend section not quite coming together? Plug in the Sunshine Week filler ads. The ads may be used in the days leading up to and immediately following Sunshine Week 2006, March 12-18.Click here to get the ads.

A Rough Year for Open Government in Kansas, By Randy Brown, executive director of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government: It's been a bad year so far for open government in Kansas. Too many Kansas legislators are using every excuse to dilute, delay and destroy commonsense initiatives to do the public's business in the sunshine. And too many Kansans don't understand that the open government movement isn't for the benefit of journalists and the media; it's for the benefit of citizens and our society. This is a dangerous situation. Open government is essential to democracy. It's the only way you and I can know how good (or bad) a job our public officials are doing, from local schools boards all the way to Topeka.Read more here.

Pushing Back Against Big Brother, By Hodding Carter, former newsman and government official, now professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: When all else fails, the debate-ending clincher in Washington always comes back to "national security." When that is invoked, we’re supposed to shut up, salute and go back to watching American Idol. We shouldn’t, despite the fact that there is a core of truth beneath what is otherwise a vast load of self-serving manure. There are secrets whose exposure would damage national security. They must be safeguarded. That much is true. But the burden of proof in this society is on government. It is contemptible to hide behind national security to justify covering up failed policies and faked evidence. Read more here.

Training in Texas Maintains Transparency, By Wanda Garner Cash, editor and publisher, The Baytown (Texas) Sun: Making the transition to the public life of an elected official can be a jolt for most folks, whether they’re accustomed to doing business in a corporate boardroom or over a counter at the hardware store.There’s scant little training out there to adequately prepare a well-intentioned citizen for the scrutiny, criticism and Monday-morning quarterbacking that accompany the often-thankless jobs of school board trustees and city council members.Regardless of a lack of preparation, however, Texas Attorney Greg Abbott doesn’t accept ignorance as an acceptable excuse for folks who are elected to uphold the law. So Abbott launched a campaign to get rid of those excuses—by requiring elected officials to take formal courses on Texas open records and open meetings laws. Read more here.

The Plight of Whistleblowers, By Teresa Chambers, former chief, U.S. Park Police: The world changed for all of us on Sept. 11, 2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park Police, an organization responsible for the safety and security of some of America's most valued and recognizable symbols of freedom—including such notable sites as the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge area—I knew it was my duty, as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the community of the realities of the situation. For being candid—for being "honest"—while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge and firearm, and escorted from the Department of the Interior by armed special agents of another federal law enforcement entity in December of 2003. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me. Read more here.

FOIA Reform Must Move Forward, By Sen. John Cornyn: As our country celebrates national Sunshine Week, it is important to evaluate the significant progress of the past year toward reforming the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), while also recognizing that more remains to be done to preserve the open-government principles on which the United States was founded. While much of the FOIA reform efforts, to date, have focused on providing access generally, more can be done to improve the process specifically. Access to information is undoubtedly essential, but so is accelerating the rate at which requests are fulfilled. Access is of little value when requests for information are subject to lengthy delay. Read more here.

Access Created Can Also be Taken Away , By Charles N. Davis, executive director, National Freedom of Information Coalition: Thus far, state governments have, for the most part, resisted the knee-jerk secrecy of the Beltway. That may reflect the proximity of state officials to their constituency; it may also reflect greater respect for access among state-level politicians, who know full well the damage wrought in secret meetings, and in classified dossiers, to the public interest. It may also have something to do with the emergence of state freedom of information coalitions, which join citizens, journalists, and activists of all stripes, providing a collective voice for the will of the people. Read more here.

Environmental hazards: What you don't know just might hurt you, By Joseph A. Davis, director of the Society of Environmental Journalists' Watchdog Project: Over the past six years—roughly since the 1998 West African embassy bombings—there has been a broad rollback in the public's right to know about a wide range of environmental hazards and "critical infrastructure." Even the Toxic Release Inventory, a keystone of the 1986 right-to-know law and a basic tool for environmental reporters over the years, is being whittled down by the EPA under pressure from Western mining interests. Congress' nonpartisan watchdog arm, the General Accountability Office, reported in 2003 that there are 123 chemical facilities in American cities where a worst-case accident could expose more than a million people to toxic gases. Yet a 1999 law essentially prohibited the EPA from giving this information to the American public. Proponents said it would provide a "roadmap for terrorists." Read more here.

FOI Saves Money, By Robert J. Freeman, Executive Director, New York State Committee on Open Government, Albany: There is no doubt that there is a cost incurred by state and local government agencies when they must locate records, review them and make them available following requests made under a freedom of information law (FOIL). But it is equally clear that disclosures by those agencies as a result of the use of FOIL save taxpayers millions of dollars—far more than the cost of implementing the law. Read more here.

A New Look a Secrecy, by Lee H. Hamilton, former congressman and vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, currently president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington: Our government has always adhered to a "need to know" principle when dealing with information, compartmenting who is permitted to see what, and what information will be made available to the public. Some of this is for good reason—sources and methods of collection, for instance, must be protected. But all the incentives run toward secrecy: you can get in trouble for mistakenly disseminating information, but you cannot get in trouble for stamping something secret. You might say the motto is: When in doubt, classify. Why is this a problem? To begin with, as we suggested on the 9/11 Commission, the "need to know" principle must be balanced against a "need to share" principle. A post-9/11 reality should not simply mean classifying more information; the lesson of 9/11 is that we must share more information, because the American people can be as hurt by the failure to share information as they can by the disclosure of secrets. Read more here.

The Assault on the Public's Right to Know, By Sen. Patrick Leahy: As we take stock during the second annual Sunshine Week, we confront the disturbing reality that the foundations of our open government are under direct assault from the first White House in modern times that is openly hostile to the public's right to know. The right to know is a cornerstone of our democracy. Without it, citizens are kept in the dark about key policy decisions that directly affect their lives. Without open government, citizens cannot make informed choices at the ballot box. Without access to public documents and a vibrant free press, officials can make decisions in the shadows, often in collusion with special interests, escaping accountability for their actions. And once eroded, these rights are hard to win back. Read more here.

Protecting the Freedom to Know, By Rep. Mike Pence and Sen. Richard G. Lugar: Freedom of speech and the press are two of the most important rights we Americans possess under our Constitution. They form the bedrock of our democracy by creating a "free flow" of information to the public. This is absolutely essential to ensure what Abraham Lincoln described as "government of the people, by the people." Unfortunately, these rights are under attack. Nearly a dozen reporters were served or threatened with jail sentences last year alone for refusing to reveal confidential sources. Compelling reporters to testify and, in particular, forcing them to reveal the identity of their confidential sources, hurts the public interest. Many whistleblowers will refuse to come forward and reporters will be unable to provide our constituents with information they have a right to know. Read more here.

Sunshine on Government Reveals Data on Citizens, By Jean Maneke, attorney, Kansas City, Mo.: While most of us lead very boring lives, and we laugh when we think about what the government would find if we gave it the chance to explore all this private data about us, it is still a scary thought to most of us that this information could be gathered into one place about us. And that is where the sunshine laws in this country offer us the greatest protection. While we may not be happy that the government can collect this information, we are able to ask what information the government has on us and to judge whether the government has a right to ask for that kind of information. Read more here.

Secrecy Creates a Dysfunctional Democracy, By Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman, The First Amendment Center: Let me tell you about a truly unhealthy relationship. The symptoms are well-documented: One partner skulks about suspiciously, distrustful, secretive, evasive, conversing with others out of earshot, making important decisions unilaterally, spying on the other partner, retaliating in anger when questioned or challenged. This is what's going on right now between American citizens and their government. It is not a relationship that Oprah or Dr. Phil can fix. But it must be fixed. Until both partners in this relationship are restored to equal footing, democracy suffers. Read more here.

Leak Investigations, On The Rise Since Plame Case, Threaten Media Independence, By Peter Scheer, executive director, California First Amendment Coalition Government and the press are natural antagonists. Government wants to keep secrets, while the press wants to expose them. As long as neither side gains an upper hand, this tension is, on the whole, a good thing—balancing the public's "right to know" with the government's legitimate security concerns. But a series of leak investigations and prosecutions now threatens to redraw this balance in a way that undermines the independence of the press. Read more here.

Informed Citizens Are the Foundation of a Strong Democracy, By Rep. Lamar Smith: Every American citizen should be able to quickly and easily obtain public information from the federal government. This promotes a responsive democracy, but unfortunately it isn’t always so easy. The process for obtaining government information is overly burdensome and federal agencies have become less and less responsive to requests for information. This deters citizens from seeking information to which they are entitled. Read more here.

Sunshine Week editorials were developed by the newspapers indicated, but they may be used freely by any participant from March 12-18, 2006.

From The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul: Indeed, that may be the FOIA’s greatest, and most unquantifiable, contribution to American society: Its very existence highlights how much Americans value open government, and has likely nudged many a wavering official away from stealth and toward scruple. The law’s necessity couldn’t be more evident: Every administration in the history of this republic has sought to cut corners and cover up bungles—verifying the acclaimed adage about power’s tendency to breed corruption. It’s an inclination only public scrutiny can hold in check. Read more here.

A gallery of editorial cartoons has been created for Sunshine Week participants by members of The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, in response to a call to action from president Clay Bennett of The Christian Science Monitor. Also in the gallery is a cartoon commissioned by South Dakotans for Open Government and two from Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Click here to see the cartoons.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Graphics has created a series of info graphics for Sunshine Week that include a new look at money recovered by the federal government because of whistleblowers,and updates on annual FOI requests, growth in government secrecy and an explanation of the FOI process. The graphics are available to all Sunshine Week participants on the KRT Web site.

Two versions of radio and television public service ads are available for use during Sunshine Week and throughout the year. One version is specific to Sunshine Week and can be used during and in the days surrounding March 12-18, 2006. The other version utilizes the evergreen Your Right to Know logo for placement any time. The ads were developed in conjunction with the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation, and the television spots were distributed by RTNDA and the National Association of Broadcasters. Click here for the ads.

Several coordinators have asked us to post resources for their states in the national Toolkit. You'll find them below, grouped by state. Any coordinators who'd like to have their materials included can submit them via e-mail.

Nationwide

A national teleforum on Monday, March 13 will examine the question, "Are We Safer in the Dark?" A panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, moderated by Geneva Overholser of the Missouri School of Journalism's Washington bureau, will be fed via satellite to host locations across the country. Following the national program, those sites will engage in discussions of openness issues particular to their states and communities. Click here to find a participating site near you.

The League of Women Voters has selected 14 communities to host Sunshine Week forums as part of its "Openness in Government: Looking for Sunshine" project. The League also has developed a resource guide to public access to official documents, which includes suggestions for how citizens can become more involved in this issue and will help additional League chapters conduct Sunshine Week events around the nation. More information can be found online here.

On March 17, the PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW will air a one-hour special about government secrecy as part of Sunshine Week. In "The Sunshine Gang," NOW will focus on the erosion of open government in America through the stories of whistleblowers.

California

Members of Californians Aware are participating in four Sunshine Week events around the state including: a California Common Cause panel discussion on March 4; a press conference on March 14 about open government deficiencies in state agencies and proposed legislative remedies; and two League of Women Voters panels in Alameda on March 17 and Benicia on March 18. Find the details online here.

Georgia

The Atlanta Press Club's First Amendment Speaker Series features "Information control: How government wants to keep secrets but forces reporters to disclose sources," a Sunshine Week discussion with attorneys Peter C. Canfield and Thomas M. Clyde on Tuesday, March 14 at Georgia Tech.Click here for details.

Hawaii

Sunshine Week got off to an early start in Hawaii, with a two-day forum, "The First Amendment in Crisis," held at the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law. Speakers included Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Executive Director Lucy Dalglish and former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis. The text of Lewis' remarks can be found online here. In addition to UH, event sponsors included the Hawaii Bar Association, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Cades Foundation.

Several events during Sunshine Week also are planned across Hawaii. Click here for the schedule.

Kansas

An opinion column noting the challenges to open government in Kansas, written by Randy Brown, executive director of the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, is available for publication during Sunshine Week. Read more here.

Michigan

The Oakland Press, Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Michigan Press Association are hosting a free forum in Pontiac on Friday, March 10, where the state's attorney general will discuss open meetings and FOI laws. Click here for more information.

New Mexico

Albuquerque Press Women is recognizing Sunshine Week with a luncheon on March 13 featuring remaks by the deputy executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. Elizabeth Staley will discuss "recent efforts to keep public records and meetings open to the public, as well as open government challenges specific to the state." Read more here.

Pennsylvania

Teri Henning, general counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, has prepared an opinion column on the state's public records debate. The column is available here.

Rhode Island

The Newport Daily News and Rhode Island Press Association teamed up to create a Sunshine Week print ad (left) focusing on the state's open government laws and encouraging people to exercise their right to know. A PDF version of the ad can be downloaded by clicking here.

In addition, The Call in Woonsocket has developed a page on how to access public records in Rhode Island (right) that includes a step-by-step process, the basics of the law, and a sidebar on the Open Meetings Law. The Call is planning to use the graphic on Sunday, March 12, and invites other Rhode Island participants to use it as well. Click here to download a larger PDF file for publication.

Virginia

The Richmond Times-Dispatch will host a free public forum on March 13 called, "Your Right to Know: Keeping Government Open." Thomas A. Silvestri, president and publisher of The Times-Dispatch, will serve as moderator.Click here for more information.

Washington, D.C.

The Brookings Institution is holding a forum on "Global Transparency: Empowerment and Democracy in the 21st Century," on March 15. The panel includes experts from India, Canada, Mexico and the United States discussing the trend in open government worldwide and what that means for the future. Get more information here.

The First Amendment Center will host its annual Freedom of Information Day on March 16. In addition to announcing new inductees into the FOI Hall of Fame and a keynote address by Hodding Carter, the conference program will examine issues including FOIA trends and what's happening with whistleblowers. More information is available here. In addition to the program discussions, 21 champions of open government will be inducted into the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame.

The Heritage Foundation has scheduled a panel discussion on March 14 looking at "What if the Answers Don't Add Up? Transparency and Government Data." Speakers include Heritage Foundation analysts and an economist from The Center for Economic and Policy Research. Click here for details.

ReadtheBill.org, Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), and the American Library Association will hold a March 15 Capitol Hill press conference to announce their "72 Online" campaign aimed at getting legislation posted online for 72 hours before it can be brought up for congressional debate or vote. Read the media advisory online here.

The Associated Press will mark Sunshine Week with a two-day package of stories and graphics, accompanied by a multimedia presentation for its members. The stories and graphics will move in advance of Sunshine Week, March 12-18. Click here for the full advisory.

A newly published 72-page book, "Bright Ideas", features examples of some of the different ways Sunshine Week was observed in 2005.

Sections include news and features, editorials and commentary, graphics and presentation, broadcast reports, online presentation, and ideas for 2006.

The book can be downloaded by section here. A limited number of printed editions is available; contact dghernandez@asne.org.

The Buffalo News has created a Sunshine Week open government poster, based on artwork designed for the newspaper's Sunshine Week 2005 special coverage.

The poster was created by Buffalo News Design Director John Davis, using an illustration created by staff artist Dan Zakroczemski.

A 3.5MB PDF file is available here for downloading. A very limited number of printed posters are still available. Send requests to dghernandez@asne.org.

To help the public—and newsroom staffs—better understand the importance of Freedom of Information, the American Society of Newspaper Editors developed an extensive, interactive FOI training manual, that now is available online here. The guide utilizes real and fictional scenarios to start discussions about FOI issues and to teach participants how to obtain government records.

"Privacy and Public Records: An Editor's Guide," by Edward Seaton, editor in chief of The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury. Click here.

"Background on Secrecy and National Security," by Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy. Click here.

David Shedden, library director for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, has developed a comprehensive Freedom of Information-First Amendment bibliography that includes links to relevant sites and articles, as well as a list of books on the subject. The bibliography is available online at the Poynter Web site.

Get tips for writing about open government.

Read story suggestions and examples of articles based on government records.

How to conduct an FOI audit.

Online information on how to file a FOIA request

American Society of Newspaper Editors stump speeches on Freedom of Information can be accessed here.

Click here for archived op-ed columns on FOI from the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Learn how to conduct an FOI audit.

This Sunshine Week flier (right) was created especially for use in libraries has been updated and now is available for download. The flier can be posted on bulletin boards, handed out to readers and generally distributed to the library community.

The Sunshine Week and Your Right to Know bookmarks at left can be printed on card stock or other heavy paper and given out during Sunshine Week and year round. Click on the image for to download the PDF file.

David Shedden, library director for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, has developed a comprehensive Freedom of Information-First Amendment bibliography that includes links to relevant sites and articles, as well as a list of books on the subject. The bibliography is available online at the Poynter Institute Web site.

Proving that open government is not just for fashion-challenged old fogies, orange "Govern in Sunshine" plastic wristbands have been produced to commemorate Sunshine Week.

The plastic wristbands, popular with teens and young (and not-so-young) adults, are available for Sunshine Week—and then to wear all year to remind us about the continued importance of preserving the public's right to know.

Wristbands can be ordered in sets of five by using the order form found here. For more information, please contact American PressWorks Inc.