Is our government too open? In honor of Sunshine Week, March 13-19, Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs are hosting a debate on the transparency in government.
From 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at Fred W. Smith Forum (Room 200), professors Bruce Cain of Stanford University and Charles Lewis of American University School of Communication will debate on the transparency in the federal government. The debate will be moderated by Barbara Petersen.
The timing of the debate coincides with Sunshine Week, the nationally observed annual celebration of open government, and reformers are always trying to improve public access to information about decision making in government for decades. But some influential commentators now argue that the drive for transparency has gone too far, undermining the capacity of elected officials to reach agreements on policies and make those policies work, according to RJI.
Attending the debate is free and registration is available online on RJI’s website at http://bit.ly/1SBng4a. Refreshments will be available at 6:30 p.m. and a book signing for both speakers will be after the debate.
If you would like to participate in the converation before, during and after the event, use the hashtag #opengovdebate.