MVI managing editor part of Sunshine Week event

By the MVI

Sunshine Week, set for March 14-20, encourages Americans to recognize the importance of open government to a robust democracy. 

Access to meetings, minutes and records of our elected and appointed representatives is a key element of the constitutional right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It is not strictly for the benefit of the news media.

Each year in March, news organizations across the country take this time to highlight the importance of transparency in government, and the vital work journalists do to fight for access to records that shed light on government activity. 

Mon Valley Independent Managing Editor Stacy Wolford is one of the panelists invited to speak at this year’s Sunshine Week event hosted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition.

The event, set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, will be a virtual celebration and discussion of transparency in the Keystone State.

Wolford will join fellow journalists, media law attorneys, researchers and transparency advocates to talk about the challenges and successes of Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law and Sunshine Act, as well as tips for using the federal Freedom of Information Act. The Pennsylvania Sunshine Week 2021 virtual celebration is produced in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project.

Attendees will come away with a better understanding of the current state of government transparency in Pennsylvania, as well as how to employ the Right to Know Law and Sunshine Act to further their reporting and public access to information, especially in light of safety measures and other restrictions that are in effect due to the pandemic.

Wolford will discuss the Mon Valley Independent’s civil lawsuit against Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw and the City of Monessen for violating the state Sunshine Act during a Jan. 6, 2020, city council reorganization meeting.

On Dec. 11, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry F. Smail Jr. ruled the city and Shorraw violated the Sunshine Act and found that it likely happened again at a meeting Jan. 29, 2020, when council voted to ratify the motions passed at the earlier meeting. 

The judge ordered the city and Shorraw to comply with all provisions of the state Sunshine Act in any and all future proceedings, and they were further ordered to attend Sunshine Act training through the state’s Office of Open Records, which they have done.

“I am humbled and proud to represent our newspaper at this prestigious event,” Wolford said. “Local government has the biggest impact in our lives on a day-to-day basis. As journalists, we believe government should be open and transparent. I am proud that we stood up as a community newspaper for the public’s right to know and to ensure that the Sunshine Act was upheld. Even a public-health crisis as devastating as COVID-19 will not stop journalists from reporting news and information that matter most to our readers — whether at a school board, township supervisor or city council meeting.”

To register for the free, virtual event, go to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/4216147854873/WN_sm-MlDH7RL-OdL4bQW0-rw.