Sunshine Week is an annual March observation that celebrates the importance of shedding light in the darkness.
It might seem like a week devoted to journalism. It’s not.
The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act spells out the requirements for open meetings. It demands that state agencies, county bodies and local governments — and all of the commissions, committees and authorities that derive their authority from them — do their work in the clear light of public accountability.
It does not say reporters need access. It does not say newspapers need to be able to attend. It says these meetings must be open and public. It says official action is not official if it happens in darkened corners where the people can’t see.
It goes hand in hand with the Right to Know Law, the legislation that opens information to public inquiry.
This law breaks down what agencies must release records, what records may be excluded, the time frame for providing them and the process for appealing a denial.
The language of the law only calls the person asking for information “the requester.” It doesn’t say who can ask. It doesn’t ask why.
Just like the court is obligated to assume a defendant’s innocence, the Sunshine Law and RTK Law assume most government meetings and information should be public. It places the burden on the government to prove a document shouldn’t be released or a meeting public rather than on the requester to argue it should be.
The default position of the laws is that what the government does should be freely known and available.
Sunshine Week, therefore, is not about newspapers or reporters. It is about everyone.
Journalists may be the largest group of people regularly attending public meetings and filing RTK Law requests, but we do it as representatives of the masses. We do it on behalf of those who should know and to keep leaders accountable.
This week, honor that transparency.
Celebrate your right to public information.
