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Let the Sun Shine In

This week is "Sunshine Week", and Michigan newspapers like the Port Huron Times-Herald and the Flint Journal have lots of pieces regarding public access to governmental information. One problem is that while Michigan's FOIA law gives residents the right of access to many public records, stiffening fee structures and a vague description of what materials to which public bodies can deny access to the information.

MLive.com has several interesting features including a blog, forum, editorial and an audio interview with educator Dave Poulson, who teaches a Michigan State University class about analyzing government records. In the clips he talks about why "Sunshine" laws are important.

Read Michigan Freedom of Information Act in the Times-Herald
Read Rising fees threaten law's strength in the Times-Herald
Read Sunshine Week marks right to know what 'they' are doing in the Flint Journal
Visit the Sunshine Week web site

Posted/updated Mar 14, 2005
by Andrew McFarlane (Absolute Michigan)