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Health & Fitness

Let the Sunshine In: How Much Do You Know About the Sunshine Act?

Quiz your freedom of information and sunshine knowledge online.

Are you smarter than a journalist?

As part of Sunshine Week, which starts on Sunday and goes through March 17, try testing your freedom of information knowledge online.

The Sunshine Week organization has a game for you to "learn about why open government and freedom of information in the U.S. is to be cherished and held to high standards."

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The interactive Ray of Sunshine game gives players a reward at the end, allowing you to brag about your success on Facebook and Twitter.

In the spirit of transparency and openness, I took the interactive quiz and was given the "You're a Ray of Sunshine" award by Sunshine Week.

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Understanding the Freedom of Information Act will get you only so far, however, when you are on a quest for information. You also need to be familiar with the Missouri Sunshine Law for anything regarding state or local governments.

The state attorney general's office also has an online quiz to test your knowledge.

On this test I correctly answered 10 out of 11 multiple-choice questions.

If you want to brush up on your knowledge before taking the quizzes, Sunshine Week provides resources about freedom of information online. The attorney general's office also provides sunshine law information, including a summary of the law, court decisions and a sample sunshine request form.

In addition to taking the quizzes, I challenge you to get involved by filing a freedom of information or sunshine request, or attend a public meeting. I would love to hear how everything turns out.

And if you dig up anything newsworthy, feel free to contact me anytime.

(One other transparency note: I’m scheduled to be on vacation during Sunshine Week. However, I will be attending a sunshine workshop by the Attorney General's Office in Jefferson City on Friday.)

By Brian R. Hookbrhook@missourijournal.com, (314) 482-7944

Hook is editor of Missouri Journal, which tracks the economy across the Show-Me State

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