UPDATED Monday, March 15

The American Society of News Editors named on Monday, March 15, citizens who have fought tirelessly for open government. The awards point out that those seeking access to government records go far beyond journalists.

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Sunshine Week is March 14-20. This is the time of year when supporters of open government remind citizens that they have the right to inspect the work done by their public, tax-supported decision makers. I write about it in my Sunday, March 14, column in The Gazette.

News media organizations are huge drivers behind Sunshine Week, led by the American Society of News Editors but also including civic groups and others whose members believe open government requires a free flow of public information participate, libraries, nonprofit groups and schools.

Fact is, you usually deal with people in public government more than happy to help you when you request information. But awareness is necessary. The reason? Battles -- some well intentioned, others not -- still exist between government bodies and public over the release of information.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen last year won a lawsuit in which it sought more than 1,000 pages of documents related to the UI investigation into accusations in 2007 that two former University of Iowa football players raped a student at a UI residence hall. The UI appealed so the fight continues. Earlier this month The Gazette, Des Moines Register, Associated Press, Iowa Newspaper Association, Iowa Freedom of Information Council and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a friend of the court brief supporting the Press-Citizen's side of this battle that now is before the Iowa Supreme Court.

The Iowa Legislature has been trying since 2007 to create an independent board to resolve complaints about open meetings and open records violations that pop up in our state. Supporters of this effort, who include The Gazette, Iowa Newspaper Association and Iowa Freedom of Information Council, say such a board is necessary because of how much it can cost to challenge a governmental body over an openness issue.

And you do end up in court if government agency leaders disagree with what you think should be public and withhold documents, citing any number of exemptions allowed in Iowa law.

Information is available to help you if you want to inspect documents your government keeps. Here are some sites:

Sunshine Week: http://www.sunshineweek.org/ and http://www.sunshineweek.org/FOINews.aspx

The Iowa Attorney General's Sunshine Advisory alerts

Iowa Open Meetings Law

Iowa Open Records Law

Iowa Newspaper Association

Iowa Freedom of Information Council

Iowa Broadcasters Association

Also, the Sunday, March 14, Gazette had a handy guide on what is public record and how you get access to it.