FSNE - Sunshine Sunday

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — When post 9-11 fears sent lawmakers scurrying to close public records, a group of Florida newspaper editors responded with an event they called Sunshine Sunday.

Members of the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors ran out stories and editorials making their readers and lawmakers aware of the importance of public records laws. The goal was to preserve Florida's reputation as the nation's leader on open government as lawmakers considered dozens of bills that would have created exemptions to the public's right of access embedded in the state constitution.

The reputation has not only stayed intact, but members of the Legislature are more vocally championing the cause.

"For the first couple of years we did Sunshine Sunday we saw a significant drop in the number of new exemptions created and we saw the rise of a group of legislators committed to the idea of ensuring open government," said Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, which tracks open government issues.

Sunshine Sunday is now being called Sunshine Week and it's no longer just a Florida thing. The American Society of Newspaper Editors heard from Florida editors about the success of the event and is asking newspapers nationwide to raise awareness from March 13-19 about open government and records access.

"Our hope will be that the coverage, that the stories that are written, the commentaries that are written will prompt people to think more about it, to talk more about it and to discuss what it means in their own lives," said Pete Weitzel, coordinator of the Arlington, Va.-based Coalition of Journalists for Open Government. "If that happens we will all find we are happier with government and are more confident with what it's doing."

Access helps residents know what the government is doing, how tax money is spent and assures them officials aren't breaking the law. It also can be used to research property records, review lawsuits, check criminal histories, verify a day care center is licensed, check on a doctor's background and much, much more.

Tim Franklin was the Orlando Sentinel editor and an FSNE board member in 2002 when he came up with the idea of Sunshine Sunday. The question was: Would fierce competitors be able to come together behind a common goal?

The first year, just more than half of Florida's daily newspapers participated. It has since grown to include all but one of the state's dailies, as well as weekly newspapers and television stations.

"The first Sunshine Sunday had real impact and real positive impact. We decided we had to keep it going because the threat to open government was not lessening over time," said Franklin, who is now editor of The Baltimore Sun.

"It's really heartening to see what we started in Florida go national and I hope we can have the same impact nationally as we had in Florida. At a minimum, I hope the public understands the issues better as a result of this."

It would also be helpful to have the federal government see the light. Franklin said it's become routine for agencies to deny or "slow walk" records requests.

State Rep. Fred Brummer knows his colleagues have taken public records exemptions more seriously since the campaign began three years ago. Now he wants lawmakers everywhere to take notice.

"I hope the success that Florida has had will spread nationwide and make open government the case in all 50 states and the federal government," said Brummer, R-Apopka. "Open records and open meetings are just absolutely signal to a sound democracy — the cornerstone."

The national campaign, though, is a more difficult task to coordinate, Weitzel said.

"Florida has had such a wonderful tradition of sunshine in government and the attitude of the public on openness in government and the involvement of the press and the media," he said. "In that sense, I think it was easier to mobilize Florida and the newspapers in that state than the national effort, where there's not always as much of a tradition."

Still, he expects there will be at least some participation in all 50 states.

On the Net:

Florida Society of Newspaper Editors: http://fsne.org