By: E&P Staff The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded a second, larger grant to the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) to implement and expand the open government initiative next spring, the group announced Tuesday.
Sunshine Week 2006 will be held March 12-18.
"This is great news," Rick Rodriguez, ASNE president and executive editor of The Sacramento Bee, said in a statement. "The response to Sunshine Week last year far exceeded our expectations, and this Knight Foundation grant will allow us to continue to remind our readers how critical open government is to our democracy. The timing couldn't be better as we seem to be fighting more and more battles on the local, state and national fronts to keep the public's business open."
The $200,000 grant for Sunshine Week 2006 will fund operations, coordination, print, and online materials development and other tools for participants in the weeklong discussion about the importance of open government to local communities, states, and the nation.
ASNE said Sunshine Week 2005 received support from more than 750 newspapers large and small, broadcasters, Web sites, nonprofit organizations, state press associations, open-government coalitions and advocates, journalism schools, civic groups, and others.
In addition, 11 governors and three state legislatures issued proclamations in support of Sunshine Week and open government.
"We were absolutely bowled over by the response to Sunshine Week 2005, not only in the sheer volume of participation, but also in the depth and creativity of materials produced and their impact on the public and lawmakers," said Andy Alexander, chairman of the ASNE Freedom of Information Committee and chief of Cox Newspapers' Washington bureau. "The Knight grant will help us to grow with new opportunities and partnerships for 2006."
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