Sunlight Foundation

Press Editorials

March 2010

• Silver City Sun-News - Their view: A sensible step for increased access to public information

  The following editorial appeared in the Washington Post: In the last scene of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film's protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: "Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don't know what they've got there."

• The Boston Globe - Campaign finance: Disclose corporate, union ads

  The Supreme Court decision letting corporations and unions spend unlimited amounts touting political candidates — or trashing those they oppose — could make officeholders more beholden to special interests. The least Congress can do is require full disclosure of such expenditures and insist that shareholders or union members approve them.

• Denton Record-Chronicle - Other Voices: Sensible step toward greater transparency

  In the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film’s protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: “Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don’t know what they’ve got there.”

• Napa Valley Register - Key data, just a click away

  In the last scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film’s protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: “Fools, bureaucratic fools. ... They don’t know what they’ve got there.”

• The Washington Post - Sunshine online

  IN THE LAST scene of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," a clerk wheels the crated Ark of the Covenant into a cavernous government warehouse, destined to be lost among endless rows of nondescript boxes. The film's protagonist, Indiana Jones, mutters: "Fools, bureaucratic fools. . . . They don't know what they've got there."

• El Paso Times - Transparency: Sunlight Foundation forms key committee

  During the contentious debate over health-care legislation, it became obvious that not only did Democrats wish to exclude Republicans from the deliberations, but they also wanted to exclude the American public from the process.

• USA Today - Opposing view: 'Earmark' isn't a dirty word

  On the surface, the recent decision by the House of Representatives to ban all congressional earmarks directed to private companies might appear to be in the public interest. In reality, such a move would only empower the executive branch and shift the attention of lobbyists from Congress to unelected bureaucrats, who have no accountability to the taxpayer.

• The Pantagraph - Don't give up trying to reform earmark process

  The U.S. House of Representatives took meaningful steps earlier this month to curtail earmark abuse. It is a pity that the Senate did not follow in its footsteps. Instead, on a 68-29 vote, with 15 Republicans joining 43 Democrats, a proposal to freeze spending earmarks for a year failed Tuesday. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris opposed the reform measure.

• The Charlottesville Daily Progress - Earmarks need transparency

  What to do about earmarks? Public condemnation of lawmakers’ practice of personally sponsoring large awards of tax money to questionable projects has produced some reforms. The process is now a bit more transparent, and — hopefully as a result — there have been some small declines in the amount of money awarded.

• The Echo Press - Editorial - Open government records to Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• The St. Louis Dispatch - Earmarks: The pork that defies reform.

  Here’s an issue the United States Senate had no trouble mustering a filibuster-proof majority for: earmarks.

• The Californian - Editorial: Improve access to city leaders on the Web

  Open government. It's a phrase getting a lot of attention these days, especially this week during Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is an annual call for more transparency in government; it is devoted to encouraging public access to government information and inspiring more citizens to go after it.

• The Casper Star-Tribune - Bill enhances goals of Sunshine Week

  Sunshine Week is an important event in newsrooms around the country, including the Star-Tribune's. But it should be just as noteworthy to every American, since it focuses on the public's right to know. The week, which officially ends Saturday, is an initiative that's been spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors since 2005. Its goal is to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

• Glen Falls Post Star - Editorial: Good, bad news on sunshine front

  Halfway through Sunshine Week, we're getting some positive news and some not-so-positive news about the public's right to know. Let's start with the most pressing news, which happens to be negative. Really negative.

• Summit Daily News - Editorial: Let the sunshine in

  Those with an interest in government transparency know that, even in today's broader and more scattered media landscape, newspapers are typically at the forefront of pressing government to keep the books open. This is “Sunshine Week,” a time of year promoted by the American Association of Newspaper Editors to remind Americans what we have a right to know, and it's a good time to underscore the fact that even a small community like Summit County is not immune to breaches in the Freedom of Information Act — as well as what can be maddening examples of information roadblocks both deliberate and unintentional.

• Advertiser-Tribune - The time has come for online disclosure

  Today's guest column supplied by Sunlight Foundation argues for the federal government to "proactively" disclose public information online. The state of Ohio has taken a helpful step toward that goal by not only publishing Ohio's open government laws, but a companion Sunshine Laws Manual - and making both available online.

• The St. Joseph News-Press - Our opinion: Openness requires access

  Unless you are among the handful of folks living “off the grid,” government is a big part of your life. You pay taxes, rely on government to keep the peace and ensure the safety of what you eat, and tolerate everything from Census questionnaires to airport screenings.

• Nashua Telegraph - Unlocking data in Washington

  During the presidential campaign of 2008, it was not usual for then-candidate Barack Obama to talk about transparency and the importance of open government. So it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise that on his first full day in office, the president issued a memorandum to the heads of all executive departments restoring the original presumption of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, a reversal from the previous administration.

• The Plain Dealer - Sunshine Week is good time to remember that a democratic government needs to open its records and proceedings to the people in whose name it exists: editorial

  The start of the decennial census, noted elsewhere on this page, is a reminder that governments collect a lot of information about almost every aspect of American life -- from basic demographics and health data to details about foreign trade and the activities of lobbyists. Some of this information is proprietary; others of it bear on the national security and can't be widely shared.

• The Bemidji Pioneer - Pioneer Guest Editorial: Open government records to Internet

  Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has a deep impact on almost every aspect of American life. Some of it can be used to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, or have a profound effect on health, economic development and commerce. The problem is, much of this government information is too often hard to find, difficult to understand, expensive to obtain in useful formats, and available in only a few locations.

• The Desert Sun - Openness in government is crucial to our nation's future

  This week is Sunshine Week, dedicated to freedom of expression, open meetings, open records and transparency in how the government spends your money. The Desert Sun will take a long look at the campaign for openness today and share the views of others throughout the week.