Sunshine Week: Obama has mixed record on open government

Opinion from Buffalo News:

WASHINGTON – It began, as politics often does, with a promise.

“My administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government,” President Obama said shortly after his inauguration four years ago.

That was then. How about now?

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Sunshine Week: Why We Think Openness is so Important at UCF

From KnightNews.com:

In 1787, a document was birthed in order to regulate a diversified nation; at the time, to only create a government that would not be able to rule tyrannically but instead, serve citizens rightfully. Today that document, known as the United States Constitution, contains important amendments and laws which aim at providing citizens with three things: Life, Liberty and a pursuit of happiness.

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UL students uncover ‘horror story’ through Sunshine Week survey

From The Daily Advertiser:

How well do local government agencies comply with Louisiana's open government laws?

To find out, The Daily Advertiser conducted a survey with help from the students in Dr. Robert Buckman's public affairs reporting class at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

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Sunshine Week: Mixed results

Opinion from Democrat and Chronicle:

In an era when time-pressed technophiles have groceries delivered to their doors and buy tickets en route to the cinema with ubiquitous sidekick gadgets, the meaning of convenience is rewritten daily.

For democracy’s sake, however, government bodies can no longer conflate a convenience with a right. There should be no confusion about public access to information.

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Florida First Amendment Foundation celebrates Sunshine Week

From Florida First Amendment Foundation:

Two events highlight the First Amendment Foundation's 2013 observance of Sunshine Week, the national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Sunshine Week 2013 runs from March 10-16.

Sunshine Recognition Luncheon

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Two Oklahoma newspapers, legislator garner FOI honors during Sunshine Week

From Tulsa World:

Two Oklahoma newspapers and a state lawmaker were honored Saturday during FOI Oklahoma's Sunshine Week activities at the University of Oklahoma.

The Enid News & Eagle was awarded the Marian Opala First Amendment Award and the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise was given the Ben Blackstock Award.

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Sunshine Week isn’t just for the media

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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Ohio government turning out the lights on information

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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