Find to find your FOIA posse? Sunshine Week starts March 12, with events online and around the country to help bring together transparency lovers of all stripes. MuckRock is hosting two events in Boston that week, and we’ll be participating in the National Archives event in DC.
And if neither of those are convenient, there’s also affiliated events being hosted around the country as well as online.
The three events we’ll be participating in:
March 12, 2pm-6pm: Sunshine Week Kickoff: FOIA Workshop and PowerPoint Karaoke (14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA)
If you missed our last FOIA-themed PowerPoint Karaoke, here’s your next chance: On March 12, to help kick things off, we’re partnering with the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and Tufts UEP Master of Public Policy program to get things started right. We’ll begin with a public records overview, have a workshop to help people think up and file their own requests, and then wind things down with PowerPoint Karaoke.
A very special thanks to Canopy City for sponsoring. Admission is free, but RSVPs are recommended as space is limited. See event page on Facebook (Don’t use Facebook? Email your RSVP to info@muckrock.com).
March 13, 1pm-4:30pm: Sunshine Week at the National Archives (700 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC)
Down in DC? We’ll be at the National Archives for their Sunshine Week celebration, on a panel with other transparency innovators talking about how to open up government from the inside and out. The event will be streamed live on YouTube, and you can check out details here or register free to attend on EventBrite.
March 13, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Hacking FOIA: Learn how to Open Government with Public Records (115 Forsyth Street, Boston, MA)
Ever wish exclusive stories would just come to you? Or wish that you could tap into government databases yourself and see if you could come up with a better solution? The session will include both an overview of the law, advanced techniques, and should be useful for both hacks and hackers looking to peek into the drawers and hard drives of government agencies without risking jail time. This event is done in partnership with Hacks/Hackers Boston, the local Meetup group for coders and journalists to come together to build a better future for journalism. Register for free (noticing a pattern?) on Meetup .
Looking for an event somewhere near you?
Check out Sunshine Week’s official events page , which lists gathering, trainings, and FOIA fun all around the country. And if you’re hosting an event and would like a free MuckRock account for the evening to host a FOIA filing party in exchange for having us as a sponsor, just email info@muckrock.com with the subject line “Sunshine Week Event” and the details, and we’ll help you get set up!
Image via US National Archives Flickr
