Sunshine Week

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC)  and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced the establishment of the Knight Sunshine Fund at the University of Florida, an endowment of $575,000 to help expand the reach and impact of Sunshine Week and increase public awareness of the importance of open…

David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, is quoted in “South Dakota Lags in Public-Records Transparency Laws, Expert Says” published on South Dakota’s soiuxlandproud.com on March 17. According to Cuillier, South Dakota’s state laws providing public access to state and local government records are among the weakest in…

David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, is quoted in “Despite Marsy’s Law Ruling, TPD Won’t Release Information on Officer Involved in Shooting” published in the Tallahassee Democrat on March 15. The article focuses on Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in 2018 that grants…

David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, is the author of “Growing Secrecy Limits Government Accountability” published on theconversation.com on March 11. In the article, Cuillier focuses on how government agencies are increasingly hiding their work from the public and how this behavior can have significant ramifications. Cuillier…

David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, is quoted in “Sunny State Turned Cloudy: A Boca Raton Lawsuit Illustrates ‘Erosion’ of Florida’s Public Records Law” published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel on March 10. The article focuses on Florida’s Sunshine Law requiring government meetings and documents to…

The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications will educate Americans about the right to public records by coordinating national Sunshine Week, starting in March 2024. The News Leaders Association (NLA), which has led Sunshine Week since 2005, is transferring the public awareness campaign to Brechner.…

Janet Coats, managing director of the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology (CTMT) at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, will speak about the College’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the Alachua County Library District’s Freedom of Information Day on March 16 at 5 p.m. in downtown Gainesville. Coats will discuss…

David Cuillier, incoming director of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Freedom of Information Project, will be speaking at the 2023 Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) Sunshine Week Symposium. The online webinar will be on March 16 at 1 p.m. Cuillier will be one of six panelists discussing the…

Is the public entitled to request documents kept by state legislators? Can a requester be sued by the government just for filing a freedom-of-information request — and is there a way to get such harassing litigation easily dismissed without spending a fortune on legal fees? The newly published second issue…