“Sunshine Week, which begins today [Saturday, March 12], started in 2002 as a nationwide effort to highlight the public’s right to know what its government is doing and why. The American Society of News Editors took the lead in this initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

It’s not just a newspaper initiative; you’ll find participants from broadcast and online journalism along with civic groups, libraries, nonprofits and schools — all have an interest in the public’s right to know, as does the public itself. The main goal is to foster a discussion about the need for open government; participants can raise awareness by putting on a public forum, for example, or initiating a classroom discussion, quoting the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Ed. Note:
While the Nisqually Valley News supports the value of this nation’s newspapers, their silence on this initiative by newspapers and the lead taken by The American Society of News Editor is very conspicuous.