Mar. 1, 2010

Sunshine Sunday 2010

Sunday, March 14

Editors,

Thanks for participating in Sunshine Sunday 2010, organized by the Florida Society of News Editors.

On Monday, March 8, Florida AP will move a package of news stories for your use on March 14. It includes the following:

MAINBAR: IS IT NOW OR NEVER? Is open government an issue that resonates with voters? In a wide-open political year that's the first statewide election since revelations about former House Speaker Ray Sansom's shenanigans with a $6 million appropriation for an airport project that got him indicted, will candidates address government in the sunshine in a meaningful way? Will it make a difference in any races? This may be the window of opportunity for changes in laws in a positive way, with Charlie Crist leaving the governor’s office after championing openness during his term.

SIDEBAR: TALLAHASSEE - Lawmakers have long been known for stuffing special projects into the state budget, often at the last minute and often unnoticed until the budget has passed. But the fall of former Speaker Ray Sansom after reports he funneled millions of dollars to a state college where he later took a high-paying job has made lawmakers focus more on transparency in budget talks. House and Senate leaders say they support the idea, but exactly how to open the process remains a question.

WITH: Pull-outs on what’s exempt and how Sunset rules would change.

SIDEBAR: HISTORY: How does the budget-negotiation process now compare to years and decades past? Technology has made it easier to track changing issues with spreadsheets and online documents, but there are still thousands of lines of the budget that are impossible to take in as a whole. Was back-room dealing greater or less in the past? Were lawmakers more or less open about deals and details? Using the voices of presiding officers and budget chiefs of the past to compare and contrast the current situation with earlier times.

Also moving:

• Two columns on Sunshine issues from FSNE member newspapers
• A column from Gov. Charlie Crist
• A column from the First Amendment Foundation
• Editorial cartoon
• Sunshine heroes and villains list (top/worse 5)

This package will also be available March 8 here at the FSNE Web site for members.

Also, during the session, which begins officially this week, stories on open-government and access issues will be made available for use by all FSNE members from the Tallahassee Democrat, Miami Herald-St. Petersburg Times, and Associated Press bureaus via the AP.

We would like to showcase your contributions on the FSNE Web site and share your content with the American Society of Newspaper Editors during Sunshine Week, March 14-20.

If you intend to participate in Sunshine Sunday, please contact Bob Gabordi at bgabordi@tallahassee.com (or 850-599-2177) with a brief description of your plans. Be sure to include your newspaper’s contact on this effort, including his/her e-mail address and phone number. This will ensure your content is properly posted on the FSNE Web site and shared nationally during Sunshine Week with the American Society of Newspaper Editors at www.sunshineweek.org.

Submissions should be emailed to sunshine2010@fsne.org.

Thanks so much for your continued support and for helping to defend openness in government.

Regards,
Bob Gabordi, FSNE board member and
executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat