Open Government "State of the Union" 2020
Channel: Demand Progress
Date: 14/03/2020

A virtual conference on March 12, 2020, in honor of Sunshine Week, the nation-wide celebration of access to public information that takes place every year around President James Madison’s birthday, who famously wrote that “a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” 



The conversation included a spirited discussion between experts and advocates about a host of topics, from the Freedom of Information Act to open government data, government modernization, transparency at the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, whistleblowers, press freedom, and democracy in the United States of America in 2020.

Moderator: Lisa Rosenberg, Executive Director, Open the Government (@lisarosenbrg)

Panelists:
* Alex Howard, Director of the Digital Democracy Project, Demand Progress Education Fund (@digiphile)
*  Irvin McCullough, Deputy Director of Legislation and National Security Analyst, Government Accountability Project (GAP) (@mcculloughirvin) 
* Liz Hempowicz, Director of Public Policy, Project on Government Oversight (POGO) (@LizHempowicz)
* Melissa Wasser, Policy Analyst at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) (@Melissa_Wasser)
* Ryan Mulvey, Policy Counsel, Americans for Prosperity Foundation (@RPMulvey)