Renee Padgett


FIRST FOR A REASON: THE REPORTER’S PRIVILEGE


October 19, 2017 Uncategorized

North Carolina has a robust reporter’s privilege.  G.S. § 8-53.11.  8-53-1  The privilege applies regardless of whether information is confidential or nonconfidential, published or not published and applies to all aspects of a news operation. A journalist can waive the […]

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FIRST FOR A REASON: COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF POLICE VIDEO


October 9, 2017 Uncategorized

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million.  Until a year ago, though, the law with regard to law enforcement videos was muddy.  Some departments took the position that video (particularly of officer-involved […]

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Can We Talk? Getting Information from Sources Who May Be Breaking the Law


July 24, 2017 Uncategorized

If asked whether a reporter faces liability for asking a source to provide information that legally is secret, most media lawyers will answer:  “No, it’s never illegal to ask questions.  You may not bribe, coerce or hack … but just […]

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Take That Down! Expunged Records and Newspaper Archives


July 17, 2017 Uncategorized

Have you gotten a call or letter or email from a lawyer saying his client’s record has been expunged, and so the story you posted last year no longer is accurate?  The lawyer wants you to take it down.  What […]

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TWEAKS TO NC REVENGE PORN LAW


July 12, 2017 Uncategorized

Governor Cooper has signed into law a handful of amendments to NC’s so-called revenge porn law.  (§ 14-190.5A. Disclosure of private images )  As amended, the law applies to live transmissions as well as static images.  It also now applies not only […]

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Public Agencies Putting Records Online


July 12, 2017 Uncategorized

  Public Agencies Putting Records Online You may be familiar with the provision of the Public Records Law that says you get to ask for public records in whatever format you want, so long as they can be provided that […]

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SUPREME COURT ORDERS RECONSIDERATION OF GERRYMANDERING REMEDY


June 5, 2017 Uncategorized

The United States Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling that North Carolina’s districts were gerrymandered but found:  “[W]e cannot have confidence that the court adequately grappled with the interests on both sides of the remedial question before us.And because […]

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UPDATE: UNC TO RELEASE EMAILS


May 30, 2017 Uncategorized

UPDATE:  Applying the wrong law to analyze the situation — and abdicating its public records duties to the Union County DA’s office — the University of North Carolina now has agreed to release the records requested by WBTV reporter Nick […]

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UNC SCHOOL OF GOV’T EMAILS ARE NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS


May 25, 2017 Uncategorized

The latest legal position taken by the University of North Carolina would be shocking if the University had not taken outrageous legal positions in the past.  At one point the University claimed that a photograph taken by a professional photographer […]

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NC Bar Association Highlights Press Award Given to SMVT Partner Amanda Martin


May 10, 2017 Uncategorized

“NCPA Award Like ‘An Oscar’ For Amanda Martin”  Read here:  NCL May 2017 – Amanda Martin

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