Sunshine Week was launched in 2005 and has grown into an enduring initiative to promote open government. Sunshine Week will be observed this year Sunday-Saturday, March 13-19.
Members of the media, including newspapers, are encouraged to highlight the importance of openness through stories, editorials, columns, cartoons or graphics. In Missouri, the last year has thrown into stark contrast the need for open meetings and governmental records transparency as several prominent news stories were only possible thanks to Sunshine Law requests.
Some resources include:
MPA President Roger Dillon’s March president’s column for Missouri Press News:
https://mopress.com/presidents-column-our-states-sunshine-law-helps-everyone-see-clearly/
Missouri Sunshine Coalition (MSC) Executive Director Dennis Ellsworth’s op-ed about HB 2049:
https://mopress.com/opinion-proposed-legislation-would-gut-sunshine-law/
Join in the celebration of Sunshine Week with these ideas from MSC:
https://mopress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Sunshine-Coalition-2022-flyer.pdf
Read the latest edition of MSC’s Missouri Sunshine News & Notes:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xxx5sQ0DNgBzwed6VAjWnMPak_egYHIpFhd4WCxSOQ8/edit
Missouri Press Service Sunshine Law explainer
https://mopressservice.com/wp-content/uploads/Fiverr-Sunshine-Law-video.mp4
National Freedom of Information Coalition
https://www.nfoic.org/
NFOIC Lighting the Way Webinar Series
https://www.nfoic.org/nfoic-presents-lighting-the-way-illuminating-information-information-with-uncovered/
Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Director Al Cross writes about 60 Minutes’ recent piece on local journalism and the need to reinforce local journalism’s importance
https://irjci.blogspot.com/2022/02/60-minutes-report-on-crisis-in-local.html
