Sunshine Week celebrates transparency in government

Editorial from The Daily Advertiser:

One of the fundamental principles of this country is that government must be open and accountable to the people.

And that accountability doesn't mean just State of the Union messages and press conferences on the part of elected officials. It means access by ordinary citizens to the paperwork that keeps track of the everyday activities of government. And that access is granted to citizens — not just members of the media — through the open records laws of the state and the United States, often referred to as Sunshine Laws.

This is Sunshine Week, a time observed mostly by journalists, but should be celebrated by everyone whose rights the law protects.