Sunlight has long held that nonprofit e-file data should be open. Thanks to the IRS and many opengov advocates, now it is.
Continue readingCensored? Information goes missing from political ad files
The Federal Communication Commission's online political ad database is supposed to make information about heavy political hitters more accessible, but a lack of clarity in the rules has resulted in some stations effectively censoring what the public is permitted to see.
An analysis using Sunlight's Political Ad Sleuth, a project to organize and expand the FCC database, shows that of the more than 220 stations that are required to post their political files online, more than half have removed documents since the process began Aug. 2. More than 2,100 of the total 35,400 records appear to ...
Continue readingSunshine at Sundown
Last evening, over a hundred supporters of open government joined Sunlight Foundation, the National Press Club, ProPublica, United Republic, Reporters... View Article
Continue readingObama Admin PR Flacks Blocking the Public’s Right to Know
Are the PR flacks of the Obama administration against government transparency? If not, then why have some instituted media policies... View Article
Continue readingAnnouncing Sarah’s Inbox
Today the Sunlight Foundation is proud to unveil Sarah's Inbox, our attempt to make Sarah Palin's recently released email records easier to use with a searchable function and an interface similar to Gmail.
Continue readingSunlight on ‘Technology for Greater Transparency’ Panel
Today the director of Sunlight Labs, Tom Lee, will be speaking at a Sunshine Week event hosted by OpenTheGovernment.org and the Center for American Progress.
Continue readingBad dates: ProPublica notes lack of accuracy in campaign finance data
ProPublica's Sebastian Jones notes what for us has been one of the most maddening features of campaign finance data: the dates don't mean very much at all. Campaigns report when they receive money, and political action committees report when they donate it. In theory, those dates should match, but as Jones points out, they don't:
The Federal Election Commission [3] requires politicians to disclose the dates and amounts of contributions they receive in periodic reports. Corporate and special interest political action committees (PACs) are also required to file reports with the FEC, disclosing the money they contribute ...Continue reading
It Was A Very Good Year
Sunlight hasn’t been around nearly as long as that song — it was first recorded in 1961 and we opened... View Article
Continue readingWhither stimulus contracts?
The Washington Post's Kimberly Kindy reports that the Dept. of Energy is awarding stimulus funds to companies specializing in nuclear clean-ups that have a mixed track record:
A private company was being paid $300 million by the federal government to clean up radioactive waste at two abandoned Cold War plants in Tennessee when an ironworker crashed through a rotted floor. That prompted a major safety review, which ended up forcing work to an abrupt halt, and the project was shut down for months. The delay and a host of other problems caused cost estimates to rise, eventually hitting $781 ...Continue reading
Every Obama Administration Personal Financial Disclosure
ProPublica went through the process of requesting all of the personal financial disclosures from the Obama administration and has posted... View Article
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