Sunshine Week

In a campaign called Sunshine Week, newspapers across the nation are examining the impact of government secrecy on Americans. The Sun will continue to be an advocate for openness in government in the months to come, and we'll be inviting our readers to join us in that cause.

Later this year, The Sun will coordinate a "citizen audit" of government agencies throughout Maryland to test how much real access the public has to government documents about pollution, development and other controversies. For more information on this public service project, watch for announcements in The Sun and on baltimoresun.com.

March 13, 2005

Sunshine Week

Government secrecy concerns many in poll

Americans feel strongly that good government depends on openness with the public, with seven out of 10 people concerned about government secrecy, a new poll says.

March 13, 2005

Sunshine Week

Opening officials' closed doors

Allen Dyer ran into a legal brick wall when he went to court to try to get the Howard County Board of Education to conduct more of the public's business in public. A county Circuit Court judge threw out his lawsuit, saying he didn't have legal standing to sue the school system.

March 13, 2005

Let the sun shine

A GOVERNMENT that is of the people, by the people and for the people allows those same people to view its workings -- as a matter of democracy and accountability. That's part of the underpinning for an effort this week by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to encourage open government, through more public meetings and greater accessibility by citizens to government information. The effort is called Sunshine Week, to shed light on the need to allow more access and provide more government scrutiny.

March 13, 2005

Sunshine Week

Secrecy on the rise

LARRY SASICH WANTS to know why the Food and Drug Administration rejected parecoxib, a pain medication proposed for use after surgery. David Arkush wants to know about automobile safety defects reported by carmakers to the federal government, so that he can make sure the government is properly monitoring the auto industry.

March 13, 2005