FFR received an inquiry about the specifics of the statement in last week’s post that “The law is very narrow with regard to what personnel information is public.  However, almost all personnel statutes permit the public agency to release personnel…

Access To Court Proceedings And Court Records In addition to the cases that recognize a Constitutional right of access to court files and court proceedings, North Carolina’s Constitution provides that all courts shall be open. C. Const. art. I, §…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

  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…

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…