Sunshine Week. It sounds like some kind of Florida tourism campaign or maybe a promotion that touts the benefits of vitamin D.

In fact, it’s neither; it is a campaign that was started in 2002 to promote transparency in government.

Now don’t flip the page in search of something more interesting.

Perhaps this sounds boring: Sunshine Week is a time when citizens are encouraged to become more informed about the governments that work for them.

But consider this: it’s your government; you should be aware and vocal if the government is doing something you aren’t pleased with.

Have a question about where your taxes are spent? Wonder who should shoulder the blame for the last big government fumble? Three words: Freedom of Information. The Freedom of Information Act gives ordinary citizens the right to request information about U.S. legislation. This includes information at the local, state and national levels.

Journalists utilize FOIA on a regular basis; it gives us the information we need to remain factual and unbiased. However, anyone can make a FOIA request. You don’t have to be writing an expose to have the right to request information from your government. The media is often nicknamed the “government watchdog,” because we have the responsibility of keeping the public informed about what its government is doing. Just because it’s our job, however, doesn’t mean that we are answering all the questions citizens may have.

That’s why FOIA is so important: so every citizen can learn what they have the right to know.

So, this Sunshine Week, if you have a question about something your government is doing, ask! They work for you. Just like our job is to be a watchdog, the government’s job is to serve its people, and it’s the people’s job to stay informed about its government’s actions. If we all do our jobs, everyone will become more informed.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.