Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week is an initiative spearheaded by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

Each year, in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison's birthday and [http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/press/information/topic.aspx?topic=FOI_Day National Freedom of Information Day] on the 16th, hundreds of [http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/participants06 media and other participants] write news and feature articles and opinion columns; post special Web pages and blogs; create infographics; draw editorial cartoons; create public service advertising; put on public seminars and forums to engage public discussion. Examples from 2006 are posted in a frequently updated [http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/toc06 Sunshine Week Gallery] .

History of Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week evolved from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors’ Sunshine Sunday initiative that first appeared in Florida in 2002 and then expanded into several states.

The proposal for Sunshine Week came at a 2003 ASNE Freedom of Information summit. Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the first nationwide Sunshine Week took place March 13–19, 2005. The Knight Foundation continues to support the event until 2008.Sunshine Week will be March 11-17 in 2007.

2006 Sunshine Week participants

Alabama
Anniston Star, Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, Mobile Register, Sand Mountain Reporter, TimesDaily, Times-Journal

Alaska
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, The Northern Light, University of Alaska, Anchorage, SitNews, Stories in the News, Ketchikan

Arizona
Arizona Daily Star, The Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune, Northwest Explorer, Tucson

Arkansas
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Baxter Bulletin, Heber Springs Sun-Times, Springdale Morning News

California
Alameda Times-Star, Appeal-Democrat, The Argus, Ascribe, BayAreaIndyMedia.com (San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Coalition), The Brad Blog (Brad Friedman, Los Angeles), California Common Cause, Los Angeles, Contra Costa Times, Desert Dispatch, Barstow, Enterprise-Record, Chico, The Fresno Bee, Government Technology magazine,, Huntington Beach Public Library, Lake County Record-Bee, Los Angeles Fire Department Media and Public Relations blog, Los Angeles Times, Mercury-Register, Oroville, Modesto Bee, Monterey County Herald, Northern California Association of Law Libraries, Oakland Tribune, Orange County Register, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Star-News, Petaluma Argus-Courier, Press-Enterprise, Reason magazine, Record Searchlight, The Reporter, The Sacramento Bee, San Diego CityBEAT, San Diego Union Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, San Leandro Times, San Luis Obispo Tribune, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Times-Standard, Union Democrat, Vallejo Times-Herald, Ventura County Star, Victorville Daily Press, Voice of San Diego, Whittier Daily News, Wired, Yahoo! News, YubaNet.com

Colorado
Cañon City Daily Record, The Coloradoan, Denver Post, Kraemer Family Library

Connecticut
Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, Hartford Public Library, Newtown Bee, Norwich Bulletin, Stamford Advocate, Technology Marketing Corp., University of Connecticut--Storrs, WFSB

Delaware
The News Journal, Newszap Delaware

District of Columbia
American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, The Bob Edwards Show, Brookings Institution, Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, Cox Newspapers, C-SPAN, the Heritage Foundation, Human Events: the national conservative weekly, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services, League of Women Voters, OpenTheGovernment.org, Scripps Howard News Service, Secrecy News, Special Libraries Association, ThinkProgress.com (American Progress Action Fund), TomPaine.com (Institute for America's Future), United Press International, US News & World Report, The Washington Post

Florida
The Bradenton Herald, Cape Coral Daily Breeze, Charlie Crist, The Citrus County Chronicle, Crystal River, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tom Gallagher (Florida's Chief Financial Officer, Republican gubernatorial candidate), Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, Florida Times-Union, Florida Today, Fort Pierce Tribune, Free Market News Network, Gainesville Sun, Highlands Today, Key West Citizen, The Ledger, Leesburg Daily Commercial, The Miami Herald, Naples Daily News, Joe Negron (Republican candidate for state attorney general), The News Herald, News Leader, The News-Press, Northwest Florida Daily News, Ocala Star-Banner, Okeechobee News, The Orlando Sentinel, Palatka Daily News, Palm Beach Daily News, Palm Beach Post, Pensacola News Journal, Barbara Petersen (President, First Amendment Foundation), The Poynter Institute, Ken Pruitt (State Senator, 28th District), Everett Rice (State Representative; Former Pinellas County Sheriff), Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, Rod Smith (State Senator), South Florida Sun-Sentinel, St. Augustine Record, The Sun-Herald, St. Petersburg Times, The Tallahassee Democrat, The Tampa Tribune, University of Florida, Gainesville

Georgia
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Macon Telegraph, University of Georgia Law Library

Hawaii
Hawaii Reporter, Honolulu, Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Illinois
The Beacon News, Aurora, Belleville News-Democrat, The Beverly Review, The Pantagraph, Bureau County Republican, Chicago Association of Law Libraries, Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Journal, Daily Republican-Register, Daily Review Atlas, Danville Commercial News, Des Plaines Valley News, The Dispatch, Effingham Daily News, Freeport Ink, Herald & Review, Hinsdale Doings, Jersey County Journal, The Journal Standard, Kane County Chronicle, Marion Daily Republican, Morris Daily Herald, The Times (Ottawa), The News-Gazette, North Suburban Library System, Northwest Herald, Ottawa Daily Times, Paxton Daily Record, Pekin Daily Times, Peoria Journal Star, Pike Press, Robinson Daily News, Rockford Register Star, Rock Island Argus, South County News, The Southern Illinoisan, The State Journal-Register, Sycamore Journal, Tri-County Record, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, West Frankfort Daily American, WQAD

Indiana
Decatur Daily Democrat, Brown County Democrat, Carroll County Comet, Elkhart Truth, Evansville Courier & Press, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne News Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Marion Chronicle Tribune, Palladium-Item, The Penn Online, Indiana University, The Republic, South Bend Tribune, WISH-TV

Iowa
Burlington Hawk Eye, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Des Moines Register, KCCI, Quad-City Times, Tom Vilsack, WHO, WOI-TV

Kansas
Basehor Sentinel, Bonner Springs Chieftain, Hutchinson News, Kansas State University Libraries, Lawrence Journal World, University Daily Kansan, Washburn University

Kentucky
Bluegrass Institute, Central Kentucky News Journal, Danville Advocate, The Eastern Progress, Henderson Gleaner, Ledger Independent, Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Public Library, Louisville Courier-Journal, Winchester Sun, WKYT

Louisiana
The Advocate, Bossier Press-Tribune, The Daily Advertiser, Shreveport Times, Times Picayune

Maine
Bangor Public Library, keepMEcurrent.com, Kennebec Journal, Lincoln County News, The Monument News, Wiscasset Newspaper, Village Soup

Maryland
The Baltimore Sun, The Capital, Carroll County Times, The Frederick News-Post, The Herald-Mail, University of Maryland Libraries, Thurgood Marshall Law Library

Massachusetts
The Berkshire Eagle, TheBostonChannel.com, The Boston Globe, The Enterprise, Cape Cod Chronicle, Cape Cod Times, Christian Science Monitor, Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Daily Item, Daily News Transcript, Daily News Tribune, Legal Line, The Sun, Milford Daily News, MetroWest Daily News, The Inquirer and Mirror, Newburyport Daily News, North Adams Transcript, Olin College Library, The Patriot Ledger, The Republican, Salem News, SouthCoastToday.com, Telegram & Gazette

Michigan
Ann Arbor News, Bay City Times, Battle Creek Enquirer, Cadillac News, Daily Mining Gazette, Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Dowagiac Daily News, Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Harbor Light, Huron Daily Tribune, The Jackson Citizen-Patriot, Lansing State Journal, Midland Daily News, MLive.com,, Niles Daily Star, The Oakland Press, The Saginaw News, Sheboygan Press, The Times Herald

Minnesota
Cook County News Herald, Duluth News Tribune, KARE, Mankato Free Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Spring Grove Herald, MINITEX Library Information Network, West Central Tribune, Winona Daily News

Mississippi
Biloxi Sun Herald, Greenwood Commonwealth, Hattiesburg American, The Clarion Ledger, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Mississippi Press

Missouri
Blue Springs Examiner, Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia League of Women Voters, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, Kansas City Star, The Maneater, National Freedom of Information Coalition, National Newspaper Association, University of Missouri School of Journalism

Montana
The Billings Gazette, Billings Outpost, Great Falls Tribune, Helena Independent Record, League of Women Voters, The Missoulian, Montana Kaimin

Nebraska
Lincoln Journal Star

Nevada
Ely Daily Times, KRNV, Lahontan Valley News, Las Vegas Sun, North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Nevada Appeal

New Hampshire
Portsmouth Herald, The Telegraph

New Jersey
Asbury Park Press, The Courier Post, Daily Record, The Gloucester County Times, Home News Tribune, NorthJersey.com, Orange Transcript

New Mexico
Albuquerque Tribune, New Mexico Business Weekly, The Santa Fe New Mexican, UNM Today

New York
American Civil Liberties Union, AmherstTimes.com, The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, Democracy Now, Editor & Publisher, Elmira Star-Gazette, Forbes, Ithaca Journal, JMPR Associates] , The Journal News, Media Channel, The New Paltz Oracle, Newsday, North Country Gazette, PARADE Magazine "Now”, The Post Chronicle, Poughkeepsie Journal, Press & Sun-Bulletin, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, The Saratogian, Times Union

North Carolina
Asheville Citizen-Times, Charlotte Observer, Elon University, The Fayetteville Observer, Greenville Daily Reflector, Henderson Daily Dispatch, Jacksonville Daily News, News 14, News & Observer, North Carolina Open Government Coalition, Outer Banks Sentinel, The Reidsville Review, Rocky Mount Telegram, Katherine R. Everett Law Library, WCNC-TV, Winston-Salem Journal, WRAL-TV

North Dakota
Bismarck Tribune, Grand Forks Herald, The Forum, KXMA

Ohio
Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository, Chillicothe Gazette, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Hamilton Journal News, Middletown Journal, Mount Vernon News, Oberlin College Library, Oberlin Review, The Ohio State Moritz Law Library, Clark Memorial Library, Toledo Blade, WAKR

Oklahoma
Cushing Daily Citizen, Enid News & Eagle, Mcalester News Capital, Muskogee Daily Phoenix, Norman Transcript, The Daily Oklahoman, Tahlequah Daily Press

Oregon
Corvallis Gazette Times, Curry Costal Pilot, Hood River News, The Oregonian, Valley Library, Millar Library, The Register-Guard, Statesman Journal

Pennsylvania
The Bradford Era, Butler Eagle, Centre Daily Times, Chambersburg Public Opinion, Daily News, Daily Review, Erie Times-News, Express, Greene County Messenger, Indiana Gazette, Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era, Leader-Enterprise, The Meadville Tribune, Mercury, Observer-Reporter, OpEdNews.com, Patriot-News, Penn-Franklin News, PennLive.com, PhillyBurbs.com, Penn Live, Phoenix, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pocono Record, Press-Enterprise, Reading Eagle, Reporter, Lansdale, Sentinel, Carlisle, Suburban & Wayne Times, Sunday Times, Susquehanna County Transcript, Times Herald, Norristown, Uniontown Herald-Standard, Valley Independent, Valley News Dispatch, Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, Wyoming Valley West Senior High School, York Daily Record, York Dispatch, York Sunday News

Rhode Island
Chariho Times, Jamestown Press, Newport Daily News, Providence Journal, The Westerly Sun, WPRI

South Carolina
Aiken Standard, Anderson Independent Mail, Charleston Post Courier, Florence Morning News, Hilton Head Island Packet, The Sun News, The State, Spartanburg Herald Journal, The Times and Democrat, WIS

South Dakota
Aberdeen American News, Mikkelsen Library, KELOLAND TV, Williams Library, Argus Leader, South Dakotans for Open Government, Yankton Daily Press

Tennessee
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, Commercial Appeal, Jackson Sun, Knoxville News Sentinel, Memphis Daily News, Robertson County Times, University of Tennessee Law Library, WDEF-TV

Texas
Austin American-Statesman, Bay City Tribune, The Baytown Sun,
Beaumont Enterprise, Beeville Bee-Picayune, The Big Bend Sentinel (Marfa), blogHouston.net, Brownsville Herald, Comfort News, Dallas Morning News, Diboll Free Press, Dripping Springs Century News, El Paso Times, The Facts (Clute), Fort Worth Star Telegram, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Frisco Enterprise, Gainesville Daily Register, Gonzales Inquirer, Hereford Brand, Houston Chronicle, Jacksboro Gazette News, Jacksonville Daily Progress, Jasper Newsboy, Killeen Daily Herald, League of Women Voters of Tyler, The Lufkin Daily News, Lytle Leader News, Marble Falls Highlander, Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel, The News Dispatch (Dripping Springs, North Texas e-News,Northwest Tarrant County Times, The Paris News, Pittsburg Gazette, River Cities Tribune, San Angelo Standard Times, San Antonio Express-News, Sweetwater Reporter, Texarkana Gazette, Texas Press Association, Tyler Morning Telegraph, Vernon Daily Record, Victoria Advocate, Waco Tribune, Williamson County Sun

Utah
Deseret News, KSL-TV, KUTV, Daily Spectrum, Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake Tribune

Vermont
Barre Montpelier Times, Bennington Banner, Brattleboro Reformer, Burlington Free Press, Franklin County Courier, RETN, Rutland Herald

Virginia
Charlottesville Daily Progress, Daily Press, Newspaper Association of America, Newswise, Rappahannock News, Richmond Times Dispatch, The Roanoke Times, Student Press Law Center, Boatwright Memorial Library USA Today, WVEC

Washington
Bellingham Herald, KOMO-TV, Law Libraries of Puget Sound, League of Women Voters, TheNewsTribune.com, The Olympian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times, Spokane Falls Community College, TCTV, Timberland Regional Library, Washington Coalition for Open Government, Washington Library Association, Washington State Library, Washington State University, Yakima Valley Community College Library

West Virginia
Beckley Register-Herald, Huntington Herald Dispatch, HNN, Wheeling Intelligencer, Wheeling News Register

Wisconsin
Appleton Post Crescent, Beloit Daily News, The Capital Times, Chippewa Herald, Green Bay Press Gazette, Herald Times Reporter, Holmen Courier, Isthmus Daily Page, Janesville Gazette, Journal Times, LaCrosse Tribune, League of Women Voters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Onalaska Life, Racine Journal-Times, Sheboygan Press, McIntyre Library, WBAY, WISC-TV, Wisconsin State Journal

Other
Bolsamania.com, Conspiracy Planet, The Guardian, International Middle East Media Center, The Gleaner, Journalism.co.za, Pacific Daily News, Palestine Chronicle, MonstersandCritics.com

External links

* [http://www.sunshineweek.org Sunshine Week]