Sunshine Week is a national initiative, led by journalists, to examine the public's right to know what the government is doing, how it is doing it, what it is costing, and why.

The effort is led by the American Society of News Editors and is funded primarily by a challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami.

The group says participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.

Sunshine Week hopes to encourage people to play an active role in government, and to provide access to information that improves their lives and communities.

— Information for this comes from the Sunshine Week site, sunshineweek.org