What
REGISTER HERE: Eventbrite
As we recognize the 20th anniversary of national Sunshine Week, we’re organizing an in-person conference to find solutions to pressing problems in freedom of information across all disciplinary and geographic boundaries.
We are bringing together journalists, record custodians, policy makers, historians, state FOI coalitions, librarians, academics, civil society nonprofit groups, commercial data providers, and all other constituencies who care about transparency at the local, state, federal and global levels of government.
Attendees will produce an action plan to be implemented post-conference and beyond.
See a detailed schedule, with topics (to be updated as more speakers are confirmed).
Why
We want to bring requesters and the government to the same table and identify solutions for improving the public’s ability to acquire information they need to self-govern. The goal: Strengthen democracy, communities, and individuals’ lives.
When
March 19-20, 2025.
Conference early bird rate (ends March 10): $50 ($25 for students)
After March 10, increases to $75 ($30 for students)
REGISTRATION: Eventbrite.
Limited to 160 registrants (142 registered so far – 18 seats left, as of Feb. 21!). If the registration fee is a hardship or you might have difficulty being reimbursed by your employer, send an email to David Cuillier (cuillierd@ufl.edu) to obtain a waiver code to use when you register on our EventBrite page.
We are offering a limited number of travel fellowships of up to $1,000 each to help offset travel/hotel costs, not including meals or incidentals. One person per organization, first come, first served. A reimbursement will be made after receipts are submitted after the conference. Apply for a travel fellowship by Feb. 21 here.
Where
Reception, March 19
Clyde’s of Gallery Place
707 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Sunshine Fest, March 20
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center
555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Who
Coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, the National Freedom of Information Coalition, and the Johns Hopkins University Communication Graduate Program. Support for Sunshine Fest and Sunshine Week comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
How
Sessions will meet the following criteria:
- Of interest and importance to both requesters and government agencies.
- Foster understanding, empathy and constructive common-sense solutions.
- Cross geographic boundaries – local, state, federal and global.
- Cross disciplines – journalism, nonprofit, history, archives, public administration, academia, commercial sector, etc.
- Break conventional boundaries – bring new ideas and new perspectives to inspire positive change through legislation, processes, research, and innovative initiatives.
Topics include the latest technologies to improve searches/redactions, how to handle voluminous requests, effective dispute resolution outside of litigation, the state of transparency under Trump and beyond, the use of FOIA for political advocacy, balancing privacy and access, and more. See schedule. Got a suggestion for future Sunshine Fests? Submit here.