The Good Government Initiative recently hosted an international visitors workshop for Middle Eastern and North African public officials at the University of Miami Law School. The workshop included discussions on the responsibilities of public officials, case studies in ethics and a discussion on the role a free press plays in government. It was opened by Good Government CEO Katy Sorenson.
“I cannot tell you what an honor and how humbling it is to have you here,” she said. “I truly believe that there are many things we can all teach other.”
Through interpreters, the 16 public officials discussed Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law with former county attorney Murray Greenberg. The attendees also discussed ethics with Dawn Addy, chair of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, and examined various ethical dilemmas.
The workshop closed with a discussion headed by UM journalism professor Sam Terilli, who emphasized that a free press wasn’t the only component to good government.
“Just because you have free press, doesn’t mean you’ll have good government,” he said. “A free press is just one of the factors.”
The conference attendees came from various countries and regions, including Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sudan, Iraq, Algeria and Bahrain.
For more information, go to www.goodgov.net.
