WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The National Press Club, as part of its participation in Sunshine Week, is hosting a panel discussion the evening of Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. on transparency in the District of Columbia.

The third annual D.C. Open Government Summit will be an opportunity to hear from innovators who have used open government data and information to create useful tools for our daily lives, such as mapping restaurant health code violations or tracking the District's emergency response times. Traci Hughes, the first Director of the D.C. Office of Open Government, will give featured remarks.

The event is co-sponsored by the Club's Freedom of the Press Committee, the D.C. Open Government Coalition (www.dcogc.org), the D.C. Professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American University School of Communication.

There is no charge to attend the event, which is open to the public. But space is limited and attendees must register in advance here.

Sunshine Week, an annual event in mid-March near James Madison's birthday, spotlights the importance of transparency and press freedom.

Through its Press Freedom Committee, The Club defends press freedom and open government worldwide.

Contact: John M. Donnelly, NPC Press Freedom Committee Chairman, [email protected], 202 650-6738; or Cori Zarek, D.C. Open Government Coalition vice president: [email protected]

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO

SOURCE National Press Club