Opinion from Zanesville Times Recorder:
Welcome to Sunshine Week — a time created to draw public attention to the issue of freedom of information. The first Sunshine Sunday was declared in Florida in 2002, when newspapers across that state agreed to publish editorials and articles on government openness on the same day. It was the Sunday before James Madison’s birthday.
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From The Columbus Dispatch:
When Ohio lawmakers declared in 1963 that government records belong to the people, there was only one exception in the public-records law — medical records.
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As the national Sunshine Week celebration of transparency begins today, Ohioans have above-average rights to public records and open meetings, according to national ratings, but access isn’t what it used to be.
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Read More… from Ohio government turning out the lights on information
Opinion from The Columbus Dispatch:
It’s time for the Ohio General Assembly to kill the stealth exemption.
The stealth exemption is a nickname for a series of misguided rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court in interpreting Ohio’s open-records law, our most potent catalyst for accountable government.
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From The Columbus Dispatch:
Today marks the beginning of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote government transparency and citizen access to public records and meetings.
Unfortunately, the forecast for openness in Ohio is growing cloudier.
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A litany of bills aimed at amending the state’s Public Records Act — in both good and bad ways — again surfaced in Olympia this legislative session. While it’s encouraging to see some legislators fight for the public’s right to know and transparent government, a handful of others remind us that protecting access to government is an ongoing battle.
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Read More… from Make ‘Sunshine Week’ memorable for open government
From The Daytona Beach News-Journal:
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The Associated Press and newspapers throughout the state, including The Daytona Beach News-Journal, visited every county’s clerk of court office in recent weeks to see whether each is complying with the law and how much of a delay it is causing in the release of information.
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Read More… from Sunshine Week audit shows public record delays common
From The MetroWest Daily News:
Transparency laws are meant to make government officials’ actions and decisions open to the public to hold leaders accountable and ensure that citizens can play an active role in the democratic process.
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Washington matters, of course it does. Austin makes a difference, obviously. Our voices rise when they carry comments about the president or Congress or the governor or the Legislature.
Just listen. Our friends complain loudly. Our anger erupts. Our demands are great. And, we are not shy about publicly sharing our distrust, disappointment or distrust. We are the people. We have a voice. We demand to be heard, as we should.
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Editorial from StarNewsOnline.com:
In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be a need for “Sunshine Week,” which celebrates the right of the people to watch their government in action. That includes free access to meetings and documents that discuss the public’s business. An accessible government is a keystone of our democracy.
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Read More… from Sunshine Week reminds us why people should have access to information
From Corvallis Gazette Times:
Sunday marks the start of Sunshine Week, the national initiative that’s meant to call attention to the importance of open government and freedom of information.
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