Sunshine Week 2023
The goal of Sunshine Week — March 12-18 this year with related events occurring throughout the month — is to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.
COMMENTARY
If you are looking for an expert speaker to discuss government transparency or a source for news commentary, please contact NEFAC Executive Director Justin Silverman at justin@nefac.org.
In addition to our op/ed below, here is where our commentary appeared:
• Sunshine Week Prompts a Call to Enhance Civic Engagement | The Newtown Bee
• Let the Sun Shine In On Open Government and Freedom of Information | The Daily Item
• ‘In the Dark Ages’: Massachusetts Exceptionalism Includes Secrecy in State Government | Mass Dump
• Sunshine Week | The Harvard Press
• Let the Sun Shine on Public Information | The Day
• Let the Sun Shine: Open Government | Union Leader
OP/ED
Silverman wrote an op/ed that is available to be published by all newsrooms and other FOI advocates. The op/ed focuses on the need for permanent changes to state laws allowing hybrid access to government meetings.
“New England states have resorted to a patchwork of live streams, short-term remote meeting requirements, and in some cases, reverted back to pre-COVID policies and in-person meetings only,” Silverman wrote. “There’s a better way forward.”
Download Op/Ed
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Below is where the op/ed appeared:
Worcester Telegram & Gazette | Provincetown Banner | The Gardner News | The Daily Hampshire Gazette | Caledonian Record | Greenfield Recorder | New Haven Register | Connecticut Post | Keene Sentinel | The Hour | New Canaan Advertiser | The Darien Times | MassLive | The Milford Mirror | The Wilton Bulletin | The Trumbull Times | The News-Times | The Stamford Advocate | The Ridgefield Press | Shelton Herald | CT Insider | New Hampshire Bulletin | The Greenwich Time | The Middletown Press | Chester Telegraph | The Register Citizen | The Martha’s Vineyard Times | Marblehead Current | The Hull Times | The New Bedford Light | The Cheshire Herald | Shelburne News | The Other Paper
PROGRAMS
New Hampshire: Keeping the Light On and Holding Government Accountable
March 16 | 5:30 p.m. ET | UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
Featured Speakers
Casey McDermott (moderator) | New Hampshire Public Radio
Gilles Bissonnette | ACLU of New Hampshire
Hon. N. William Delker | N.H. Superior Court Justice
Emily Gray Rice | City of Manchester City Solicitor
Gregory V. Sullivan | Malloy & Sullivan and Board Member of Loeb School and NEFAC
Prior to attending this discussion, it is recommended that you view NEFAC’s New Hampshire FOI Guide which includes introductory lessons on the state’s Right to Know Law and other open government resources.
Rhode Island: Open Meetings and Public Commentary
March 22 | 6 p.m. | Remote
Raymond A. Marcaccio is the co-founder of Oliverio & Marcaccio LLP. He represents local news media organizations and brings claims for access to public records and court and government proceedings. Marcaccio is also an instructor at NEFAC’s annual investigative journalism institute.
Recommended Viewing: (1) Introduction to Rhode Island Open Meeting Law and (2) How Newsrooms Respond to Executive Session Secrecy