Observe Sunshine Week by telling us your experience

Introduction

The Data Mine, an online series by the Center and the Sunlight Foundation, invites readers to participate in Sunshine Week by tipping us to government data, records and reports that should be open to the public. We also want to hear about federal information that may be already available but accompanied by tight restrictions that make it cumbersome or impractical to use.

So far, we’ve spotlighted how the public can examine more than 10 million declassified CIA documents — but only by appearing in person at a National Archives storage building in suburban Washington, D.C. The Data Mine also looked at how the Agriculture Department’s data-rich site continues to omit the politically-sensitive annual listing of subsidy payments to individual farmers and how OSHA refuses to hand over the results of millions of workplace tests for toxic substances.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Has the government denied your attempt to FOIA certain information?
• Are you aware of any government reports or data that are unnecessarily hidden from public view?
• Have you successfully obtained government data, only to find it difficult or impractical to use in today’s electronic environment?

Email all tips to: datamine@publicintegrity.org. We’ll be happy to credit you for your tip on the Center’s website, unless you prefer otherwise.

Led by the American Society of News Editors, Sunshine Week is a national initiative to increase public awareness about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The Data Mine is a joint project of the Center for Public Integrity and the Sunlight Foundation.