Open Government Summit, reception to mark Sunshine Week at Club March 14

Celebrating Sunshine Week 2017, the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s Freedom of the Press Committee will join with the D.C. Open Government Coalition to present the sixth annual D.C. Open Government Summit on Tuesday, March 14, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the Club's First Amendment Lounge.

The event is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required here. A reception will follow the program.

The 2017 D.C. Open Government Summit will focus on the state of government transparency in the District of Columbia. The event will again look at omnibus legislation designed to improve the D.C. Freedom of Information and Strengthening Transparency and Open Access to Government Amendment Act and improve access to government data, hearing directly from the legislation’s primary sponsor, Councilmember David Grosso.

There will also be a series of “lightning talks” on topics including body camera legislation, access to government officials’ text messages and open data.

American University School of Communication and the D.C. chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists are co-sponsors of the event.

The D.C. Open Government Coalition works to enhance the public’s access to government information and ensure the transparency in the D.C. government. Sunshine Week is a non-partisan, non-profit initiative celebrated in mid-March each year to coincide with James Madison’s birthday on March 16 as a means of promoting a dialogue on the importance of open government and freedom of information.