Sunshine Review
Encyclopedia
Sunshine Review is a nonprofit wiki promoting proactive disclosure of government information online. The organization developed a ten-point transparency checklist to evaluate if government websites proactively and voluntarily disclose information to the public and media.
The wiki-based website was launched in July 2008. In the past Sunshine Review was a project of the Sam Adams Alliance
(SAM), but in 2010 separated from SAM and launched its own organization dedicated to educating the public about affirmative disclosure and other open government
initiative
s.
The website addresses several areas of transparency, including state spending, state sunshine laws, and rating local government websites on transparency. Sunshine Review works with the National Taxpayers Union
to develop information on state spending, and with the Lucy Burns Institute who runs the WikiFOIA project.
to recognize the 39 local government websites that had score an A on their checklist. By the time of the 2011 Sunny Awards, those who qualified had more than doubled, with the organization handing out 112 awards to state and local government websites.
re-did their website partly "in response to the critique [on Sunshine Review], which examined the sites of every parish in the state, she put the parish's budget online and is preparing to add information about how to obtain public records from the parish." Dupage County, Illinois
promised to add county contracts to its website. Champaign County, Illinois
was recognized by a local newspaper for its informative website based on Sunshine Review's evaluation of the county's website.
Other local government has also upgraded their websites to receive perfect grades on Sunshine Review's checklist including Tulsa County
, Owasso City
, Carbondale
and Anderson County
.
Sunshine Review was also credited with inspiring Cook County, Illinois
to post its checkbook register online.
winning journalists, including Ryan Gabrielson, to answer questions about public records
requests.
The wiki-based website was launched in July 2008. In the past Sunshine Review was a project of the Sam Adams Alliance
Sam Adams Alliance
Sam Adams Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in Chicago in 2006, the group describes itself as a "fiercely independent organization dedicated to inspiring and encouraging grass-roots citizen activism."...
(SAM), but in 2010 separated from SAM and launched its own organization dedicated to educating the public about affirmative disclosure and other open government
Open government
Open government is the governing doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and racist considerations, which have tended to legitimize...
initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
s.
The website addresses several areas of transparency, including state spending, state sunshine laws, and rating local government websites on transparency. Sunshine Review works with the National Taxpayers Union
National Taxpayers Union
National Taxpayers Union is a taxpayers advocacy organization and taxpayers union in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. NTU advertises that it is the largest and oldest grassroots taxpayer organization in the nation, with 362,000 members nationwide. It is closely...
to develop information on state spending, and with the Lucy Burns Institute who runs the WikiFOIA project.
Website evaluations
In March 2010, the organization reported that it had evaluated over 5,000 government websites, including 3,140 counties, 805 cities, and 1,560 school districts. In March 2010, Sunshine Review launched the Sunny Awards just prior to Sunshine WeekSunshine Week
Sunshine Week is a national initiative spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. It was established in March of 2005 with funding from the John S. and James L...
to recognize the 39 local government websites that had score an A on their checklist. By the time of the 2011 Sunny Awards, those who qualified had more than doubled, with the organization handing out 112 awards to state and local government websites.
Upgrading to meet the checklist
St. Charles Parish, LouisianaSt. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
re-did their website partly "in response to the critique [on Sunshine Review], which examined the sites of every parish in the state, she put the parish's budget online and is preparing to add information about how to obtain public records from the parish." Dupage County, Illinois
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
promised to add county contracts to its website. Champaign County, Illinois
Champaign County, Illinois
Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 201,081, which is an increase of 11.9% from 179,669 in 2000.. It is the 10th most populous county in Illinois...
was recognized by a local newspaper for its informative website based on Sunshine Review's evaluation of the county's website.
Other local government has also upgraded their websites to receive perfect grades on Sunshine Review's checklist including Tulsa County
Tulsa County, Oklahoma
Tulsa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population is 603,403. Its county seat is Tulsa.-History of Tulsa County:The history of Tulsa County greatly overlaps the history of the city of Tulsa...
, Owasso City
Owasso, Oklahoma
Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and a northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 28,915 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Owasso is located at...
, Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
and Anderson County
Anderson County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 187,126 people and 70,597 households residing in the county. The population density was 260.6 people per square mile . There were 84,092 housing units...
.
Sunshine Review was also credited with inspiring Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
to post its checkbook register online.
FOIAchat
In an effort to create a conversation between public records advocates, Sunshine Review launched FOIAchat on Twitter. The weekly conversation has included Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning journalists, including Ryan Gabrielson, to answer questions about public records
Public records
Public records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential. For example, in California, when a couple fills out a marriage license application, they have the option of checking the box as to whether the marriage is "confidential" or "Public"...
requests.