The Colorado Sun: This is Sunshine Week, the only week in the year devoted to celebrating the fact that we live in an open society, where We the People have the right to keep tabs on our public servants through access to the public’s records. 

While this right formally arises under statutes (the federal Freedom of Information Act and state public records laws), many understand it to be a foundational prerequisite for a self-governing democracy. James Madison stated, “A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both..”

In truth, every week of the year should be Sunshine Week (just as every month should be Black History Month and every day Mother’s Day and Father’s Day). Still, these annual commemorations provide an opportunity to highlight issues confronting our society, both locally and nationally, that cry out for greater transparency and access to accurate information. 

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