Six North Carolina news organizations, including NC Newsline, are suing the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill for refusing to release a report on its School of Civic Life and Leadership.
The university paid $1.2 million to the law firm K&L Gates to review the program in 2025. UNC received the report in early 2026, but has refused repeated requests by reporters to release it, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs say the 400-page report is a public record because it was paid for with public funds, so it should be released.