Sunshine Week in March

On a sunny and cool Friday afternoon in February, a handful of Whatcom County residents got together, shared snacks and discussed Whatcom Watch. The purpose of the gathering was to talk about the past, present and future of the newspaper. Thank goodness for this energetic cast of characters who have volunteered countless hours toward Whatcom Watch.

Bill McCallum, layout director, who has been with Whatcom Watch almost from the very beginning, sent around a copy of the very first edition of Whatcom Watch, from May 1992 – a six page back-to-back photocopy. Thank you Bill for your dedication to Whatcom Watch all of these years, and for keeping good archival records.

Helen Brandt wears many different hats having been in the role of editor for several years. Now, she is copyediting and proofreading and has offered to assist with administrative tasks that help get some of the business side of things done. Thanks Helen!

Several other volunteers around the table offered great ideas and energy.

Al Krause, a long-time supporter, mentions Whatcom Watch in his latest blog post: http://www.birchbayblog.blogspot.com. Thank you Al!

Bill Black, aka Salmon Bill, gave a full report on a Community Food Co-op tabling he did, talking with readers and subscribers. Thank you Bill!

Another ‘northern’ friend, Bob Hendricks, provided us with an update on happenings near the border in Blaine. Bob has been rounding up other supporters and has even been successful at advertising sales. Way to go Bob!

Bob Markey is our reliable distributor dropping off copies in downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven every month. Bob offered his artwork to add to the Whatcom Watch banner. Yey, Bob.

Yet another “Bob” at the meeting … Bob Sanders, a writer and photographer, contributed another photo collage of The Bike Shop (see page 7 of this issue). With Bike to Work and School Day coming up Fri., May 20, we appreciate his journalism skills!

Now a regular columnist keeping an eye on the Port of Bellingham, David Camp offered his mathematical expertise as Whatcom Watch explores 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and other business models. See David’s column this issue on page 6.)

Evan Knappenberger, a contributor, writer and artist, has been supportive of Whatcom Watch. He has educated readers about the work of the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center and we thank him for that.

During the two-hour dialogue, we talked about the history of Whatcom Watch (beginning in 1992), its shaky financial standing today and need for more subscribers and some ideas on keeping the community dialogue going. One thing was for sure, unanimously: keep printing Whatcom Watch despite the financial pressures and changes in technology that would otherwise lure us to be an on-line only publication. We are committed to the printed page.

Lastly, we want to remind readers to submit original artwork to add to the Whatcom Watch banner – that’s the top of the first page that reads “Whatcom Watch.” Contact Bill McCallum at bill@whatcomwatch.org with your idea for the banner.

Have you heard of Sunshine Week? Apparently, Sunshine Week got started in 2005 by journalists who wanted to fight for freedom of information and the public’s right to know what’s going on in government. Sunshine Week encompasses National Freedom of Information Day, March 16, which coincides nicely with James Madison’s birthday. Madison was instrumental in creating the First Amendment.

From the Sunshine Week website: “The Sunshine Week initiative is increasing public awareness, it’s coming up more often in policy conversations, and the efforts of participants are being cited as real forces for moving the public away from simply accepting excessive and unwarranted government secrecy.”

Whether you’re a journalist or just someone else who believes in democracy, the power of the people and open government, you can engage in a discussion about freedom of information with anybody during Sunshine Week. Chat it up with someone on the WTA bus as you’re reading this column. Or ask your coffee barista at your favorite coffee shop, “Have you heard of Sunshine Week?” and fill him or her in on it. Here’s the official website: http://www.sunshineweek.org. §