Happy Sunshine Week! No, it's not about the weather or good spirits. Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote open government, transparency, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In other words, advocacy groups and journalists are honoring the policies that keep the public in the know on everything from drinking water to 401(k)s.
So of course, this is the perfect week to examine the open government policies of President Obama, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum. Bring some sunglasses for Obama — although you won't need as high a UV protection as the administration might claim. And Romney and Santorum? Bring a heavy-duty umbrella. I'm forecasting a downpour.
As the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Director of Public Policy Angela Canterbury said in the article linked above:
"On one hand, Obama is doing the most to advance open government that any president ever has. On the other, the administration has been prosecuting whistleblowers and so-called leakers in an unprecedented way."
For those who are interested, POGO is celebrating Sunshine Week by posting new documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests throughout the week, as well as cool graphics you can share with your friends and family. This afternoon, POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian will participate in a Sunshine Week Twitter chat hosted by the American Society of News Editors at 2 p.m. EST.
As Louis Brandeis once said, "Sunlight is sad to be the best of disinfectants." I couldn't agree more!
Are you or your organization doing anything for Sunshine Week?