The media make a concentrated push one week a year to declare — Sunshine Week.

County commissions and city councils do not pass voter-inspired proclamations that are read to any and all who will listen and spread to the masses via local government Web sites.

The Times Free Press runs the proverbial Sunshine Week story, a chest-pounding, finger-pointing diatribe that turns off many people.

Why?

There are those who believe that the media are anti-whatever, relishing in tearing things down. When we publish a poll that abhors secrecy in government, those in office term the poll as being critical of (in this case) President Bush and those out of power cheer the results. The Founding Fathers probably would find it interesting that their hard work was minimized by the “ins” and “outs.”

But the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not require a Sunshine Week. It applies 52 weeks in any year.

Americans proudly proclaim that the United States stands for personal freedom, the right of an individual to stand up and hold the government at any level accountable.

Ask yourself how much you know about how votes were lined up for a local issue, whether it is the school board, county commission, city council or some obscure board or authority. Attend a session of one of these public bodies and ask a clerk at the desk to let you see the minutes from the past week’s meeting. Go to the office of the person who manages the official records for these taxpayer-funded entities and ask to review the e-mails shared among members, or other material that is required to be available to any Tennessee resident.

The hoops that are thrown out, that are required to be jumped through similar to a circus performer, will make you stop and wonder: “If this is a free country with open access, it must really be bad elsewhere.” Bring your checkbook because the fees — as interpreted — can be staggering.

Keep in mind that we are the example for others to follow.

For two years a study committee in Tennessee attempted to iron out differences in the state’s Open Meetings and Open Records laws. More than 700 days later, the Tennessee legislature improved the 30-year-old Open Records law.

Effective July 1, a government agency, whether state or local, will be required to inform a citizen within seven days of the action taken on an open-records request. Under existing law, a request can languish for months on end with the government official “running out the clock” because there is no penalty clause. Under the new law, there even has to be a reason given for delaying or turning down a request for information.

This is progress but revisions to strengthen the access to public meetings will have to wait; local government officials are having a difficult time realizing that limited access is not an improvement.

But as a consolation, state and local government entities that conduct the public’s business will be politely asked to learn more about a law that has been in existence in Tennessee for over 30 years.

For that reason alone, Sunshine Week is a misnomer; we need to think about being open, acting in the public light, every day.