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The weeklong program, which launches March 13, highlights citizens' rights to access public information and is meant to raise awareness of the danger of government secrecy, said Sunshine Week coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez. The lessons are just as important for student journalists as they are for professionals, she said.

"Maybe it's not the White House shutting down information, but if it's your principal or your dean or your adviser telling you you can't report on truthful information, then there's no difference," she said. "The end result is the same."

Professional media outlets are planning editorials and editorial cartoons about freedom of information, which is something members of the student media can do as well, Hernandez said. Other activities include holding discussion panels about access and public information, and conducting freedom of information audits on campus by asking officials for access to public records.

"Try to get the information," Hernandez advised. "See what the atmosphere for openness is on your campus."

Black College Wire, a news service of historically black colleges and universities, has partnered with Sunshine Week organizers to publicize the program on college campuses.

Jean Thompson, a freelance editor for Black College Wire, said Sunshine Week is vital to students who are learning the journalism craft.

"For so many college newspapers, this is where journalists get their first experience with challenges to freedom of information and challenges to the newspapers' rights," Thompson said. "It's important for students to participate now and to know that they're not alone and to know that the whole industy is with them."

Black College Wire is posting sample editorials on its Web site for college journalists to consult during Sunshine Week, Thompson said.

High school journalists can mark Sunshine Week by raising awareness among their peers about the First Amendment and access to public information, said Diana Mitsu Klos of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, which is spearheading Sunshine Week with a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

"When you see challenges to the media in general, all of those things tend to trickle down and escalate when it involves teen journalists," she said. "So that's why for those young people who are involved with scholastic journalism, it's imperative that they have an awareness and can appreciate the challenges ahead."

The organizers of Sunshine Week are preparing a lesson plan for high school students about the First Amendment, which is available at highschooljournalism.org.

The opportunity to teach high school students and student journalists about the importance of the First Amendment could not come at a better time, Klos said. Earlier this month the Knight Foundation released a study that showed that only 50 percent of high school students believe professional journalists should be able to report controversial topics without government approval. More than 30 percent of students believe the press in America has too much freedom.

"We're talking about the future viability and health of our democracy," Klos said. "Whether you're involved in scholastic journalism or not, the necessity and responsibility of being an informed citizen can't be overemphasized."

–By Campbell Roth