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…

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…

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

Following the fire in downtown Raleigh, we had an inquiry about access and the right to be on — and take photographs from — public property.  The Raleigh Police Department’s Media Policies specifically state that although access may be denied…

North Carolina law requires newspapers accepting political ads to get and maintain certain paperwork.  political-ad-paperwork  In a nutshell, the law requires written authorization for each payment.  Payment must be in a verifiable form (i.e. not cash), and the paper must make…

Last month, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned dismissal of a lawsuit brought against Amazon.com.  At the heart of the litigation was the question of whether the plaintiff had agreed to a mandatory arbitration clause that was…

SMVT Partner Amanda Martin is a frequent speaker on topics related to traditional and social media.  c-amanda-martin-publications-and-presentations  This past weekend she addressed the annual meeting of the NC Medical Society on the issue of how physicians can protect their reputation…

After a jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiffs in a false claims action, plaintiff’s lawyers issued a 3 ½ page “celebratory press release” headlined, “JM Eagle faces billions in damages after jury finds JM liable for making and…

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, charged by President Obama, has developed voluntary best practices for privacy, accountability and transparency issues related to the use of drones (unmanned aircraft systems or UAS).  Recognizing the strong First Amendment interests held by…