The public is growing weary and distrustful of burgeoning government secrecy--that's the message brought to the public last week during Sunshine Week (March 12-18th), an effort by the media, civic groups, libraries, universities and others to highlight the importance of open government.

Joining the national efforts begun last year by media groups, OpenTheGovernment.org kicked off Sunshine Week by coordinating with several groups a program of local discussions on open government and secrecy at 47 sites across the country. Highlighting the program, entitled "Are We Safer in the Dark?", was a panel discussion on open government laws and the impact of secrecy on the public's ability to hold government accountable.

Contributing to the discussion was Mark Schleifstein, a reporter with the New Orleans Times Picayune, who described via a pre-recorded interview his failed efforts to get critical safety information to his readers immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck. Moderator Geneva Overholser posed questions to the panel from national audience members.

Newspapers and other media outlets around the country contributed an impressive array of opinion pieces, editorials and news pieces for Sunshine Week (see this Google News search). PBS's NOW produced a special broadcast on government secrecy, looking at the government's failed response to Hurricane Katrina and the problem of overclassifying information.

Honoring Sunshine Week, OpenTheGovernment.org released a short flash video, a fun look at the not-so-funny problem of growing government secrecy.