Sunshine Week Highlights FOIA Access
This week marks Sunshine Week, the annual celebration that “shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.”
It is held the week of President James Madison’s birthday (March 16), in honor of Madison’s commitment to freedom and transparency. March 16 is also known as “National Freedom of Information Day.”
Sunshine Week and National Freedom of Information Day are a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in journalism, civics, education, government, and the private sector. The goal is to educate the public on the importance of having open public records and an open government.
“Sunshine Week is the celebration of the tools that empower us to govern ourselves and a call to arms to fortify ourselves against the storm that is to come. Public information, then as now, depends upon popular support,” wrote Daniel Schulman in a POPVOX Foundation blog.
“It is often said that ‘transparency is the bedrock of democracy’ because it is our ability to obtain information about our leaders and directly participate in our own governance — be it at the local, state or federal level — that allows our society to function,” wrote National Press Foundation (NPF) Secretary Kevin Goldberg.
DOJ Announces FOIA Numbers
To mark Sunshine Week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that agencies processed a record 1.1 million requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in fiscal year (FY) 2023, a 30 percent increase from FY 2022.
DOJ encouraged members of the public to visit FOIA.gov to view agency data and government wide statistics and noted that changes made to the FOIA guidelines in 2022 which directed agencies to apply a “presumption of openness in administering FOIA” are paying off.
DOJ also highlighted a new FOIA search tool and an updated self-assessment toolkit.
Sunshine Week is “an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the broader principles of openness, transparency, and accountability that FOIA serves,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer at a Sunshine Week event.
Other events will be held too to promote openness and transparency in government. \
Among them: a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) panel called “Artificial Intelligence: The Intersection of Public Access and Open Government.” That’s happening Thursday, March 14, at 1 p.m. ET.
And webinars from Investigate Reporters and Editors and the NPF will also be available, with a focus on how journalists can continue to use FOIA requests to shine a light on key issues.
