Closed Doors, Open Democracies? A national dialogue with government openness experts

Join Ira Flatow, host and executive producer of NPR’s Science Friday, and t wo panels of government and other experts in a national dialogue addressing issues of access to government information, including the impact of government suppression and manipulation of scientific information on public health and safety – and accountability at the federal and the state and local levels. The event will begin with a lively discussion of the issues and end with ideas for action.

This dialogue with government openness experts – which will feature video segments and a question-and-answer period, followed by local programs at sites across the country – kicks off Sunshine Week 2007. The event is being hosted by the American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, League of Women Voters, National Coalition Against Censorship, National Freedom of Information Coalition, OpenTheGovernment.org, Special Libraries Association, Sunshine Week, and Union of Concerned Scientists

Speakers:
Ira Flatow (moderator), host and executive producer of NPR’s Science Friday
Dottie Biggs, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) librarian from Region 8
Jay Dyckman, director of The Knowledge Project at the National Coalition Against Censorship,
Francesca Grifo, Senior Scientist and Director of Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Mark Tapscott, Editorial Page Editor, the Washington Examiner
Rick Piltz , Founder and Director of Climate Science Watch and former whistleblower at the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP)
Bill Wolfe , Director, New Jersey Chapter of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
Susan Wood , Research Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and former FDA official who quit over the delay of Plan B

WHEN/WHERE: Monday, March 12, 2007 1:00pm- 2:30pm EST., webcast from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to sites around the country.

Visit www.OpenTheGovernment.org for a list of venues, registration information, and more.