Legal | North Carolina Press Association

IMPORTANT COURT OF APPEALS CASE STRENGTHENS FAIR REPORT PROTECTIONS

The N.C. Court of Appeals handed down some very good news for journalists this month. The case arose after the arrest of Wesley Walker for an assault. WTVD’s Ed Crump emailed the Wake County … more

Amanda Martin | 8/31/22

Memories of Frank Daniels Jr

My long-time client, mentor and friend Frank Daniels Jr. died on June 30. He was 90 years old. For 20 of the 26 years he served as publisher of The News & Observer, I was privileged to defend the … more

Hugh Stevens | 7/26/22

Enhance Local Government Transparency Act (N.C. Senate Bill 473) - important changes to conflict-of-interest laws for public officials.

In January of this year, the Enhance Local Government Transparency Act (N.C. Senate Bill 473) made some important changes to our conflict-of-interest laws for public officials. Most notably, the bill … more

Amanda Martin, Beth Soja | 4/28/22

FIRST FOR A REASON: Special service charge for records? Not so fast.

We all know that public records are the property of the people and that, generally speaking, public agencies can only charge you the costs of actual duplication – the cost of the paper, the ink … more

Beth Soja, Amanda Martin | 3/31/22

FIRST FOR A REASON: task forces and committees

We all know that North Carolina law requires public bodies to follow the open meetings law, which essentially means three things: publishing notice, allowing public access and keeping minutes. … more

Beth Soja, Amanda Martin | 2/28/22

A BAKER’S DOZEN FOR 2022

The NC Public Records Law applies to public business documents made or received by a public agency or official. G.S. § 132-1(a). It doesn’t matter if they exist on an … more

Amanda Martin | 1/28/22

A Practical Legal Guide to Newspaper Advertising

Please see the attached guide as a reference to frequent questions on newspaper advertising. If you still have questions contact the NCPA legal hotline (919) 833-3833 or NCPA office (919) … more

8/23/21

PUBLIC RECORDS PORTALS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

If you’ve made a recent request under the NC Public Records Law, you may have noticed that some government agencies -- UNC-CH, Wake County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and the city … more

Beth Soja beth@smvt.com | 8/9/21

PUBLIC BODIES BREAKING THE LAW IN THE NAME OF THE PANDEMIC

If you are covering a public body that has resumed meeting in person but is forcing you to participate remotely, they are breaking the law. Over the past year, the pandemic … more

Beth Soja beth@smvt.com | 6/17/21

Elizabeth City curfew update for journalists

Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker declared a State of Emergency that was amended on April 27 to impose a city-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. This statement is to clarify that the curfew is not … more

4/29/21

NC Lawmakers’ 2020 “Short Session” To Continue into September

With the General Assembly about to head home early last Friday morning, one of the strongest “right to know” voices in the NC House, Rep. Josh Dobson, advanced a public records … more

John Bussian | 6/29/20

WHAT TO PACK FOR A PROTEST

Once again, journalists find themselves at the intersection of indispensability and danger. You are uniquely poised to be the eyes and ears of the public, to stand in their shoes, to report … more

6/1/20

STATE OF EMERGENCY = OPEN MEETINGS LAW AMENDMENTS

Reporters covering government in the last two months know public bodies have changed their way of doing business. Members of the press were granted essential worker status, but that didn’t mean … more

Amanda Martin | 5/13/20

NCPA PLAYS PIVOTAL ROLE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S TEMPORARY “REMOTE MEETINGS” BILL

The Washington Post reports Capitol Hill is paralyzed over a failure to agree on a temporary remote Congressional hearing and voting bill. Yet as Congress grapples … more

John Bussian | 4/27/20

TRANSPARENCY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 PUBLIC RECORDS EDITION

Continuing on the theme of government transparency and how you get the information you need to cover the developing COVID-19 crisis, I have outlined here some principles to … more

Amanda Martin | 4/8/20

The CARES Act authorized $349 billion in loans

MASSIVE FORGIVABLE LOANS – AKA GRANTS – TO GET YOU THROUGH THE PASS The CARES Act authorized $349 billion in loans, including a Paycheck Protection Program, which can be used to fund … more

Amanda Martin | 3/30/20

COVID-19 and Legal Notices

As the toll of the coronavirus rises daily, we are getting calls about what to do if you cannot put out your print newspaper. That might happen either because your advertising drops to the … more

Amanda Martin | 3/23/20

Transparency in a Time of COVID-19

I want to begin with my gratitude for the vital and hard work that you all have been doing to report on the coronavirus crisis. Personally, I check five or six news websites about every hour to … more

Amanda Martin | 3/16/20

The Short Session and The Rest of 2020

By John BussianThe General Assembly adjourned following its on-day special session on January 14. The attempt to override the Governor’s veto of the Teacher Pay Act and the Regulatory … more

2/26/20

Hotline Call of the Month

HOTLINE QUESTION OF THE MONTH Do the laws that make juvenile records confidential create any restrictions on a newspaper’s publication … more

2/26/20