For most journalists, I suspect, advocacy doesn’t come easily – especially if you have been in this business for as long as I have.

From the day I graduated from journalism school (Suffolk University 1976) up until a few years ago, the thought of advocating for something – as opposed to reporting, investigating, analyzing, etc. – was never on my radar. We don’t advocate, I would remind myself, we provide information so other people can advocate should they so desire.

So here I am today doing just that on behalf of Sunshine Week, a national campaign championed by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to promote the importance of the First Amendment and open government in a democratic society. More to the point: to make sure you know what tools are available to hold your government leaders accountable for their actions.