Ugh. Winter, am I right?

Gray skies, frozen streets, “Snochis.” Who needs it?

Well, let the great thaw begin: March is here, and along with the promise of higher temps, Sunlight is also delivering a packed schedule of events and trainings to get you out of the house and into the warm, kinetic world of open government.

ONADC Journalist Training

Sunlighters are hitting the ground running this month with a series of local panels, reporter trainings and policy events here in the D.C. area. We’ll be talking a lot about our latest technology, as well as our efforts to open up government here in the nation’s capital and in states and municipalities across the country. It all starts this week with a reporter training with our friends over at the D.C. chapter of the Online News Association. We’ll be presenting our tools to an audience of reporters, as well as going over some bulk datasets and opengov-friendly APIs. RSVP using the aforehyperlinked clause.

Sunshine Week: Unlock Data and “The Unknown Known”

March of course also features Sunshine Week, the annual celebration the people’s right to know, and Sunlight has several events planned next week to spotlight how far the open government has come — and how far we have yet to go.

Journalists, this one is for you: Because watchdogs love company (and panels), Sunlight has teamed up with several open government and open information groups to host a panel at the National Press Club: “Partly Cloudy: Why ‘Public Information’ Doesn’t Always = Accessible Information.” From the description: “Panelists from Sunlight, USA Today, ProPublica and the Data Transparency Coalition will discuss how digitizing government data does not always improve its accessibility, and will provide insights on how to overcome poor disclosure practices.”

Another event we’re excited about: We’ve teamed up with Participant Media for an official pre-screening of “The Unknown Known,” the latest documentary from filmmaker Errol Morris. (Check out this page for more details on how to get tickets.)

We’re not the only good government group participating in Sunshine Week, so make sure you scope out the the official Sunshine Week calendar for an event near you between March 16-22. And as always, if you have any questions or want to reach out, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

—–

MARCH EVENTS

• March 12: ONADC Sunlight data and tool training | Medill
• March 14: Open the Government panel | Newseum

SUNSHINE WEEK

• March 17-18: Sunlight’s Emily Shaw in Tallahassee for a Sunshine Recognition Luncheon
• March 17: Campaign finance bootcamp training | National Press Club
• March 18: Panel: How Journalists Can Unlock Inaccessible Data
• March 19: Advisory Committee on Transparency: The Future of FOIA | Rayburn House Office Building (2-3pm; Room 2203)
• March 20: Private screening, “The Unknown Known” | E Street Cinema

—– Oh, and one more thing. The Sunlight Foundation is a nonprofit organization that relies on public support to advocate for open government and open information. If you think you’ll find value in one of the events above — or any of the other dozens of opengov soirees Sunlight throws throughout the year — you can contribute directly to Sunlight any time, day or night, by clicking anywhere in this paragraph. Rest assured, we’ll leave the light on for you (and, thanks!).