National Press Club to Celebrate 'Sunshine Week'

The National Press Club's Press Freedom Committee will commemorate "Sunshine Week" later this month with four events designed to illuminate the importance of transparency and press freedom.

Sunshine Week is an annual series of events in mid-March near the birthday of U.S. founding father James Madison and spotlights the importance of open government.

The events:

Partly Cloudy: Why 'Public Information' Doesn't Always = Accessible Information
March 18, 6:30-8:30pm, Holeman Lounge
Panelists from the Sunlight Foundation, USA Today, ProPublica and the Data Transparency Coalition will discuss how digitizing government data does not always improve its accessibility. And they’ll provide insights on how to overcome poor disclosure practices.

When Press Offices Block the Press
March 19, 1:30pm, Zenger Room
A forum to discuss the first ever national surveys that document reporters' perceptions about whether government press offices interfere with reporting.

D.C. Open Government Summit: Street View
March 19, 6:30-9pm, Holeman Lounge
Presentations from innovators who have used open government data to create useful tools for our daily lives, such as mapping restaurant health code violations or tracking the District's emergency response times.

Civil Liberties Dead Zone: Do First and Fourth Amendment Rights Not Apply at the Border?
March 20, 6:30-8:30pm, First Amendment Lounge
A panel discussion examining cases of media workers and journalists being interrogated at the U.S. border by Department of Homeland Security officials, who have demanded access to their laptops, thumb drives and other digital devices.

Through its Press Freedom Committee, the National Press Club defends press freedom and open government worldwide. The Club is located in Washington, D.C., and is the world's leading professional organization for journalists.

Contact: John M. Donnelly, Chairman, National Press Club Press Freedom Committee; [email protected]; 202 746 6020.