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March 15, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nevada Open Government Coalition Launches During Sunshine Week
LAS VEGAS—A new, statewide coalition devoted to open government and transparency is launching during Sunshine Week 2020.
The Nevada Open Government Coalition, an affiliate of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. NOGC will advocate, educate and empower on issues related to public records policies, open meeting laws, and more.
NOGC’s board of directors is made up of transparency advocates from across the state and political spectrum. The nonprofit is currently working on public education and advocacy initiatives. The group chose Sunshine Week, which runs March 15 – 21 2020, to announce its creation because Sunshine Week is an annual nationwide celebration of access to public information led by the News Leaders Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
NOGC President Patrick File, Assistant Professor of Media Law at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno said:
‘There’s been great momentum building toward improvements in open government in Nevada in recent years, so now is the perfect time to bring together all sorts of statewide stakeholders to show how open government is good government, and why Nevada can be a leader in transparency.”
NOGC Vice President Maggie McLetchie said:
“Nevada made some positive steps during the last session of the Nevada Legislature, but there is far more to do to change the culture of hostility to access to records we see in many government agencies. Transparency is central to our democracy, and every Nevadan should have easy access to information about how our government operates at all levels.”
Other board members include:
To request an interview with NOGC, contact Patrick File at nevadaopengov@gmail.com or 612-987-9111.
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The Nevada Open Government Coalition’s Mission
The Nevada Open Government Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supporting democratic government accountability through transparency. The diverse coalition educates, advocates, and empowers civic engagement in Nevada through increased access to government information processes and public understanding of public records laws, open meetings laws and other issues related to open government.