In mid-March each year, Sunshine Week recognizes the importance of an open government and the public’s right to information.
It was first observed as Sunshine Sunday in March 2002 as a response to the Florida state legislature drafting bills that hindered the public’s ability to observe the government. In just a few years, the Sunshine Sunday movement prevented hundreds of bills from passing that would limit the right to know.
In 2005, Sunshine Sunday became Sunshine Week, and has acted as an opportunity to educate the public and those who work to serve it the right to know what’s going on in their government.
Since 2023, Sunshine Week has been organized by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. Notable organizations that participate in Sunshine Week include the Society of Professional Journalists, the Poynter Institute, as well as local groups from over 23 different states.
From March 15 - 17, 2026, Washington D.C. saw the second annual Sunshine Fest, a conference with speakers, meals and networking opportunities.
In honor of Sunshine Week, the Michigan Press Association website features op-eds, a cartoon and tools and resources web page available for public use.
"Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act and expanding it to cover [governor and state Legislature] offices would significantly improve public access to information and public confidence in government... Instead, recent proposals that would weaken public notice requirements risk moving Michigan in the opposite direction by reducing the public’s ability to independently monitor government activity," wrote the Michigan Press Association in its Sunshine Week Press Release.
The federal Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, was passed in 1967, and has been a focal point of Sunshine Week. FOIA asserts the public’s right to request access to records from any federal agency. The agency is then required to provide the information in the request, unless it falls under one of the nine exemptions outlined in the law. States have their own version of FOIA laws. Michigan is one of two states in which the governor and state legislature are not subject to FOIA.
For more information about Sunshine Week, visit sunshineweek.org.
For more information about FOIA, visit www.foia.gov.
